Northern potoo

Last updated

Northern potoo
Northern potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis mexicanus) Orange Walk.jpg
Nyctibius jamaicensis mexicanus, Belize
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Nyctibiiformes
Family: Nyctibiidae
Genus: Nyctibius
Species:
N. jamaicensis
Binomial name
Nyctibius jamaicensis
(Gmelin, JF, 1789)
Nyctibius jamaicensis map.svg
N. j. mexicanus roosting Northern potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis mexicanus) roosting Los Tarrales.jpg
N. j. mexicanus roosting

The northern potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis) is a nocturnal bird belonging to the potoo family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico south to Costa Rica, and on the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti). It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the common potoo (Nyctibius griseus) but is now usually treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations.

Contents

Taxonomy

The northern 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 jamaicensis. [2] Gmelin based his description on earlier accounts of the bird in Jamaica, including Hans Sloane's "Wood owle" published in 1725 and John Latham's "Jamaican goatsucker" published in 1783. [3] [4] The northern 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. [5] [6] The genus name is from Ancient Greek nuktibios meaning "night-feeding", from nux night and bios "life". The specific epithet is from the toponym, Jamaica, the type locality. [7]

The northern potoo was formerly classified as a subspecies of the common potoo (Nyctibius griseus), [8] but since 1995 it has usually been treated as a separate species based on the differences in vocalizations. [9]

Subspecies

Five subspecies as recognised: [6]

Description

Northern potoo Nyctibius jamaicensis.jpg
Northern potoo

It is a fairly large bird with a length of 38-46 centimetres. It has a long tail, long pointed wings, large head, very short legs and a small bill with a large gape. It is most commonly seen perched motionless in an upright position on branches or posts. The plumage is grey-brown with an intricate pattern of black, grey and cream markings. The cheeks are pale with a dark malar stripe below them. The large eye has a yellow iris which can shine red in light at night. The bird's calls are hoarse and guttural. The common potoo is virtually identical in appearance, but has a very different voice consisting of a series of mournful, wailing whistles. The great potoo is larger and paler, with no dark malar stripe.

The song is a "rough, squalling kwaaah, kwa-kwa-kwa". It also makes "an abrupt, emphatic rrah!" and "a barking alarm call". [10]

Distribution and habitat

The five subspecies are distributed across Central America and the Caribbean. It mainly occurs in lowland areas where it inhabits woodland and scrubland with clearings and farmland with scattered trees. It is sometimes seen around golf courses and urban areas. It is a occasional visitor to Puerto Rico and its permanent presence in Cuba is unconfirmed, but reported. [11]

Behavior and ecology

Breeding

A single egg is laid on a broken branch with no nest material used. Both parents are involved in incubating the egg and feeding the young bird.

Food and feeding

It feeds on large insects such as moths or beetles. It hunts from a perch, sitting and waiting for prey then sallying out to catch it in flight.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the northern potoo as being of Least Concern. It has a large range and a population exceeding 50,000 mature individuals, though that number is believed to be decreasing. [1]

The Mopan people believe that if a northern potoo (Mopán : ajsooch’) flies over a person's house repeatedly at night, someone in that family will die. To prevent this, they chase the birds away with lighted sticks, whose embers are said to repel the bird. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potoo</span> Family of nocturnal birds of tropical Central and South America

Potoos are a group of birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. The family Nyctibiidae was formerly included with the nightjars in the order Caprimulgiformes but is now placed in a separate order, Nyctibiiformes. There are seven species in two genera in tropical Central and South America. Fossil evidence indicates that they also inhabited Europe during the Paleogene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruddy duck</span> Species of bird

The ruddy duck is a duck from North America and one of the stiff-tailed ducks. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek oxus, "sharp", and oura, "tail", and jamaicensis is "from Jamaica".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-billed dowitcher</span> Species of bird

The short-billed dowitcher, like its congener the long-billed dowitcher, is a medium-sized, stocky, long-billed shorebird in the family Scolopacidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black wheatear</span> Species of bird

The black wheatear is a wheatear, a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in southern Spain and western North Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common potoo</span> Species of bird

The common potoo, or poor-me-ones, or urutau 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.

<i>Nyctibius</i> Genus of nocturnal birds of tropical Central and South America

Nyctibius is a genus of potoos, nocturnal birds in the family Nyctibiidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauraque</span> Species of bird

The pauraque – also called the common pauraque to distinguish it from similar species – is a nightjar species, one of two birds in the genus Nyctidromus. It breeds in the subtropical and tropical regions of the New World, and except for northernmost birds it is largely resident all year round.

<i>Nyctidromus</i> Genus of birds

Nyctidromus is a genus of nightjars in the family Caprimulgidae. The species are widely distributed in Central and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plumbeous kite</span> Species of bird

The plumbeous kite is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is resident in much of northern South America. It is migratory in the northern part of its range which extends north to Mexico. It feeds on insects which it catches either from a perch or while in flight.

<i>Caprimulgus</i> Genus of birds

Caprimulgus is a large and very widespread genus of nightjars, medium-sized nocturnal birds with long pointed wings, short legs and short bills. Caprimulgus is derived from the Latin capra, "nanny goat", and mulgere, "to milk", referring to an old myth that nightjars suck milk from goats. The common name "nightjar", first recorded in 1630, refers to the nocturnal habits of the bird, the second part of the name deriving from the distinctive churring song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck-will's-widow</span> Species of bird

The chuck-will's-widow is a nocturnal bird of the nightjar family Caprimulgidae. It is mostly found in the southeastern United States near swamps, rocky uplands, and pine woods. It migrates to the West Indies, Central America, and northwestern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great potoo</span> Species of bird

The great potoo or grand potoo is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marbled wood quail</span> Species of bird

The marbled wood quail, also known as the Amazonian wood quail, is a species of bird in the New World quail family. It has an extensive distribution in Central America and the northern part of South America. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tailed nightjar</span> Species of bird

The white-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in the tropic regions of Central and South America.

<i>Hydropsalis</i> Genus of birds

Hydropsalis is a genus of nightjars in the family Caprimulgidae. The species are widely distributed across the tropical and subtropical regions of the New World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scissor-tailed nightjar</span> Species of bird

The scissor-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is distributed over much of eastern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-tailed nighthawk</span> Species of bird

The short-tailed nighthawk is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country except El Salvador, in Trinidad and Tobago, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean potoo</span> Species of bird

The Andean potoo is a species of bird in the family Nyctibiidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">São Tomé green pigeon</span> Species of bird

The São Tomé green pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the island of São Tomé in São Tomé and Príncipe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The species was described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789. They have disappeared from Ilhéu das Rolas due to habitat loss. There are around 10,000 pigeons of this species today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-eyed thrush</span> Species of bird

The white-eyed thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae that is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2020). "Northern Potoo Nyctibius jamaicensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  2. Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 1029.
  3. Sloane, Hans (1725). A Voyage to the Islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica : with the natural history of the herbs and trees, four-footed beasts, fishes, birds, insects, reptiles, &c. of the last of those islands. Vol. 2. London: Printed for the author. p. 295.
  4. Latham, John (1783). A General Synopsis of Birds. Vol. 2, Part 2. London: Printed for Leigh and Sotheby. p. 591, No. 2, Plate 57.
  5. Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1816). Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire (in French). Paris: Deterville/self. p. 38.
  6. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Frogmouths, Oilbird, potoos, nightjars". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  7. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  277, 210. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  8. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 181.
  9. Monroe, B.L.; Banks, R.C.; Fitzpatrick, J.W.; Howell, T.R.; Johnson, N.K.; Ouellet, H.; Remsen, J.V.; Storer, R.W. (1995). "Fortieth Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-List of North American Birds". The Auk. 112 (3): 819–830.
  10. Gu, D.; Behrstock, R.A.; Schulenberg, T.S. (2020). Schulenberg, T.S. (ed.). "Northern Potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis), version 1.0" . Birds of the World. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.norpot1.01 . Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  11. Kirwan, Guy M. (2001). "Further records of the Northern Potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis) in Cuba, and a correction to Martínez et al. (2000)". Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 14 (1): 10A–10A. ISSN   1544-4953.
  12. Hull, Kerry; Fergus, Rob (June 2009). "An ethnoornithological approach to human-bird relations among the Mopan Maya of Belize" (PDF). Conference Proceedings of the 8th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Social Science: 17–31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-25.