Long-tailed Potoo - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Pepe_Rojas
Tambopata, Peru

Nyctibius aethereus

Identification

46–58 cm (18-23 in)

• Long graduated tail (extends well beyond wing tips); noticeably barred

Distribution

South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 3 subspecies^[1]:

• N. a. chocoensis:

• Locally in western Colombia (Chocó)

• N. a. longicaudatus:

• Tropical eastern Ecuador to Peru and Bolivia and from there across the Amazonian area to the Guianas

• N. a. aethereus:

• South East Paraguay to south-eastern Brazil and north-eastern Argentina in the Atlantic Forest region

Habitat

Primary lowland and gallery forests, from relatively dry to wet areas.

Behaviour

Diet

They feed nocturnally on flying termites, moths and beetles.

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image

• 

  Photo by Peter Bono
  Linhares Reserve, north of Vitoria, ES, Brazil

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2017)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Long-tailed Potoo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 July 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Long-tailed_Potoo

External Links

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