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Common Potoo
Nyctibius griseus
Silhouette: Dominic Sherony (photo) and Albertonykus (silhouette) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderNyctibiiformes (Potoos)
- FamilyNyctibiidae (Potoos)
- GenusNyctibius (Typical Potoos)
- SpeciesNyctibius griseus (Common Potoo)
In 3 days <5%
21 Verified sightings at Medellín
4,191 In all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted
About the Common Potoo
The common potoo (Nyctibius griseus), also known as the kakuy or urutaú, is one of seven species of birds within the genus Nyctibius. It is notable for its large, yellow eyes and a wide mouth. Potoos are nocturnal and are related to nightjars and frogmouths. They lack the characteristic bristles around the mouths of true nightjars.
The common potoo was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the nightjar-like species in the genus Caprimulgus and coined the binomial name Caprimulgus griseus. Gmelin based his description on "L'engoulevent gris" from Cayenne that had been described from a preserved specimen in 1779 by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. The common potoo is now one of the seven potoos placed in the genus Nyctibius that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek nuktibios meaning "night-feeding", from nux night and bios "life". The specific epithet griseus is Medieval Latin meaning "grey".
The common potoo was formerly considered to be... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Common Potoo in Medellín
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 8 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 10 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Closest Relatives at Medellín
No species of the same family or order lives in Medellín, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Common Potoo in Medellín?
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Potoo sighting in Medellín on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 197th most-seen of the 244 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Common Potoo in Medellín?
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Potoo in Medellín on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
What time of day is best to see a Common Potoo?
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Potoo sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Is Medellín the best place to see a Common Potoo?
11th of 12
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Common Potoo sightings, Medellín ranks 11th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cali (Colombia, about 10%), Campo Grande (Brazil, about 10%) and Buenos Aires (Argentina, under 5%).
Where does the Common Potoo sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Potoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Medellín (21 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
