Rufous potoo

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Rufous potoo
Rufous Potoo.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Nyctibiiformes
Family: Nyctibiidae
Subfamily: Nyctibiinae
Genus: Phyllaemulor
Costa, Whitney, Braun, M, White, Silveira & Cleere, 2018
Species:
P. bracteatus
Binomial name
Phyllaemulor bracteatus
(Gould, 1846)
Nyctibius bracteatus map.svg
Synonyms

Nyctibius bracteatusGould, 1846

The rufous potoo (Phyllaemulor bracteatus) is a species of bird in the family Nyctibiidae. [2] It is the only member of the genus Phyllaemulor. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Suriname Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

A 2009 publication suggested that the rufous potoo differed enough in cranial structure and genetic divergence from other potoos (in the genus Nyctibius ) that it deserved to be in its own genus, Phyllaemulor. [4] This genus was officially described by Costa et al. in 2018. [5] As of 2022, the BirdLife International Handbook of the Birds of the World, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS-SACC) have followed in reclassified it into Phyllaemulor. The Clements taxonomy retains it in genus Nyctibius. [6] [7] [8]

The rufous potoo is monotypic. [2]

Description

The rufous potoo is 21 to 25 cm (8.3 to 9.8 in) long and weighs 46 to 58 g (1.6 to 2.0 oz). The rufous potoo is the smallest member of its family, and the most unusually colored. It is overall a deep orange-red with large white spots; the color is paler on the throat. The spots on the upper belly have a thin black border and the tail has darker bars. It has long bristles in the loral region. It resembles a dead leaf, an impression heightened by its vertical posture on a roost, where it gently sways. [9]

Distribution and habitat

The rufous potoo is found in Amazonia from Venezuela south to Peru and east into Brazil, French Guiana, and Guyana. The AOS-SACC also records it as "Hypothetical" in Bolivia. It is known only from scattered locations though it probably occurs more widely than them. It primarily inhabits forests on nutrient-poor soils such as those with high sand content and those in blackwater regions. It is mostly found in the under- and mid-stories of both primary and mature secondary terra firme forest. It also occurs in swampy palm forests of the Campinarana. In elevation it ranges only as high as 550 m (1,800 ft). [3] [9]

Behavior

Feeding

The rufous potoo forages by sallying from a perch to capture flying insects, and usually returns to the same perch. It feeds on insects of at least five orders. [9]

Rufous potoo on its nest Rufous Potoo on nest.jpg
Rufous potoo on its nest

Breeding

The rufous potoo's nesting season apparently spans from September to possibly February. Very few nests are known. The "nest" is unusual: The bird lays its single egg on top of a broken stub. [9]

Vocalization

The rufous potoo's song is "a soft, rapidly descending series of roughly 10–15 notes: “bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu..." or "whooo, tooo, tooo, tooo, tooo, tooo, tooo, tooo, tooo, tooo, tooo, toot" that resembles the songs of some small owls. It mostly, and perhaps exclusively, sings during a few days around the full moon. It also makes "wup" or "urt" calls. [9]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the rufous potoo as being of Least Concern, though its population is not known and is believed to be decreasing. [1] It is "[p]robably not seriously threatened as long as extensive areas of Amazonian forest remain intact". [9]

Related Research Articles

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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.

<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">Royal flycatcher</span> Genus of birds

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-headed dove</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple-throated woodstar</span> Species of hummingbird

The purple-throated woodstar is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.

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

The rufous-thighed kite is a species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae. It is found regularly in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Paraguay, and Suriname and as a vagrant in Colombia, French Guiana, and Venezuela.

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

The rufous nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-banded owl</span> Species of owl

The rufous-banded owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yungas screech owl</span> Species of owl

The Yungas screech owl, also known as montane forest screech-owl and Hoy's screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia.

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

The long-tailed potoo is a species of bird in the family Nyctibiidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

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

The white-winged potoo is a species of bird in the family Nyctibiidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<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">Chaco sparrow</span> Species of bird

The Chaco sparrow, formerly known as the stripe-capped sparrow, is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae. It is found in Argentina and Paraguay.

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

The Peruvian wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tawny-faced gnatwren</span> Species of bird

The tawny-faced gnatwren or half-collared gnatwren is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae, the gnatcatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Marta wren</span> Species of bird

The Santa Marta wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Colombia.

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

The northern potoo 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. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the common potoo but is now usually treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations.

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

The Chaco puffbird is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

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

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References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Rufous Potoo Phyllaemulor bracteatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.2)" . Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
  4. Costa, T.V.V.; Donatelli, R.J. (2009). "Osteologia craniana de Nyctibiidae (Aves, Caprimulgiformes)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (in Portuguese and English). 49 (21): 257–275.
  5. Costa, Thiago V. V.; Whitney, Bret M.; Braun, Michael J.; White, Noor D.; Silveira, Luís Fábio; Cleere, Nigel (2018-04-01). "A systematic reappraisal of the Rufous Potoo Nyctibius bracteatus (Nyctibiidae) and description of a new genus". Journal of Ornithology. 159 (2): 367–377. doi:10.1007/s10336-017-1511-2. ISSN   2193-7206.
  6. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Frogmouths, Oilbird, potoos, nightjars". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  7. "A classification of the bird species of South America. Part 2". www.museum.lsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  8. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cohn-Haft, M. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Rufous Potoo (Nyctibius bracteatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rufpot1.01 retrieved October 17, 2021