What is "potoo"

Potoo \Po*too"\, n. (Zo["o]l.) A large South American goatsucker ( Nyctibius grandis).

n. A large South American goatsucker (''Nyctibius grandis'').

Potoos ( family Nyctibiidae) are a group of near passerine birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. There are seven species in one genus, Nyctibius, in tropical Central and South America.

These are nocturnal insectivores which lack the bristles around the mouth found in the true nightjars. They hunt from a perch like a shrike or flycatcher. During the day they perch upright on tree stumps, camouflaged to look like part of the stump. The single spotted egg is laid directly on the top of a stump.