Steatornithidae

2025-08-16T08:26:32Z

2600:100A:B1CE:98C1:7889:FB43:143:20B9: Fixed typo.

{{Short description|Family of birds}}
{{automatic taxobox
|image=Roosting Oilbirds.jpg
|image_caption=[[Oilbird]]s (''Steatornis caripensis'')
|parent_authority = Mayr, 2010
|taxon=Steatornithidae
|authority=[[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1842
|display_parents=2
|subdivision_ranks=[[Genera]]
|subdivision=
*{{extinct}}''[[Euronyctibius]]''
*''[[Steatornis]]''}}
'''Steatornithidae''' is a family of [[bird]]s comprising a single extant species, the [[oilbird]] ('''''Steatornis caripensis''''') and the extinct genus ''[[Euronyctibius]]''.<ref>{{cite journal| last= Mourer-Chauviré| first= Cécile | year=2013| title=New data concerning the familial position of the genus Euronyctibius (Aves, Caprimulgiformes) from the paleogene of the Phosphorites du Quercy, France| journal= Paleontological Journal| volume= 47| number=2013| pages= 1315–1322| doi= 10.1134/S0031030113110117 | url= https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0031030113110117| url-access= subscription}}</ref>

Steatornithidae is currently considered the only member of the order '''Steatornithiformes''', however, in the past, it was classified in the order [[Caprimulgiformes]], along with all other members of the clade [[Strisores]]. Prior to the Hackett et al.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hackett |first=Shannon J. |last2=Kimball |first2=Rebecca T. |last3=Reddy |first3=Sushma |last4=Bowie |first4=Rauri C. K. |last5=Braun |first5=Edward L. |last6=Braun |first6=Michael J. |last7=Chojnowski |first7=Jena L. |last8=Cox |first8=W. Andrew |last9=Han |first9=Kin-Lan |last10=Harshman |first10=John |last11=Huddleston |first11=Christopher J. |last12=Marks |first12=Ben D. |last13=Miglia |first13=Kathleen J. |last14=Moore |first14=William S. |last15=Sheldon |first15=Frederick H. |date=2008-06-27 |title=A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1157704 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=320 |issue=5884 |pages=1763–1768 |doi=10.1126/science.1157704 |issn=0036-8075|url-access=subscription }}</ref> phylogeny most taxonomies circumscribed Caprimulgiformes as a [[paraphyletic]] comprising the [[nocturnal]] strisoreans.

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{taxonbar|from=Q1409287}}

[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]
[[Category:Steatornithiformes]]
[[Category:Bird families]]

{{Steatornithiformes-stub}}

Potoo

2025-08-16T08:16:16Z

2600:100A:B1CE:98C1:7889:FB43:143:20B9: Added info.

{{Short description|Family of nocturnal birds of tropical Central and South America}}
{{About|the bird family|the primate|Potto|the racehorse|Potoooooooo|uses of Potu|Potu (disambiguation){{!}}Potu}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = Middle [[Eocene]] to present {{fossil range|48|0}}
| image = Northern potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis mexicanus) Orange Walk.jpg
| image_caption = [[Northern potoo]] (''Nyctibius jamaicensis'')
| grandparent_authority =
| parent_authority = Yuri ''et al.'', 2013<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yuri |first1=T. |last2=Kimball |first2=R.T. |last3=Harshman |first3=J. |last4=Bowie |first4=R.C.K. |last5=Braun |first5=M.J. |last6=Chojnowski |first6=J.L. |last7=Han |first7=K.-L. |last8=Hackett |first8=S.J. |last9=Huddleston |first9=C.J. |last10=Moore |first10=W.S. |last11=Reddy |first11=S. |last12=Sheldon |first12=F.H. |last13=Steadman |first13=D.W. |last14=Witt |first14=C.C. |last15=Braun |first15=E.L. |date=2013 |title=Parsimony and model-based analyses of indels in avian nuclear genes reveal congruent and incongruent phylogenetic signals |journal=Biology |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=419–444 |doi=10.3390/biology2010419 |pmid=24832669 |pmc=4009869 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Nyctibiidae
| authority = [[Jean-Charles Chenu|Chenu]] & [[Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs|des Murs]], 1853
| type_species = ''Nyctibius grandis'' ([[great potoo]])
| type_species_authority = [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin, JF]], 1789
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = * [[Nyctibiinae]]
** ''[[Nyctibius]]''
** ''[[Phyllaemulor]]''
* {{extinct}}[[Parapreficinae]]
**{{extinct}}''[[Paraprefica]]''
| range_map = Potoo range.gif
| range_map_caption = Global range (In red)
}}

'''Potoos''' ([[family (biology)|family]] '''Nyctibiidae''') are a group of [[bird]]s related to the [[oilbird]], with which they share the Sedentaves subclade. They are sometimes called '''poor-me-ones''', after their haunting [[bird vocalization|calls]]. The family Nyctibiidae was formerly included with the [[nightjar]]s in the order [[Caprimulgiformes]] but is now placed in a separate order, '''Nyctibiiformes'''. There are seven species in two genera in tropical [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]]. Fossil evidence indicates that they also inhabited [[Europe]] during the [[Paleogene]].

Potoos are nocturnal [[insectivore]]s that lack the bristles around the mouth found in the true [[nightjars]]. They hunt from a perch like a [[shrike]] or [[Old World flycatcher|flycatcher]]. During the day they perch upright on tree stumps, [[camouflage]]d to look like part of the stump. The single spotted egg is laid directly on the top of a stump.

In [[Argentina]], they are known as '''kakuy''' or '''cacuy'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dle.rae.es/cacuy?m=form|title=cacuy|access-date=6 Jun 2021|publisher=[[Real Academia Española]]|website=[[Diccionario de la lengua española]]}}</ref> from [[Quechua language|Quechua]] meaning 'to remain'. In [[Bolivia]] they are called ''guajojo'', for the sound of their call. In [[Brazil]] and Paraguay, they are called '''urutau''' from [[Guarani language|Guaraní]] ''guyra'' 'bird' and ''tau'' 'ghost'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blogs.unicamp.br/caapora/category/ornitologia|website=Caapora|publisher=[[State University of Campinas]]|title=Bichos do Brasil: urutaus e mães-sa-lua|date=4 Aug 2012|first=Rafael Sobra |last=Marcondes|language=Portuguese|access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref>

==Evolution and taxonomy==
[[File:Paraprefica major.JPG|thumb|left|''[[Paraprefica|Paraprefica major]]'' fossil]]
The potoos today are exclusively found in the Americas, but they apparently had a much more widespread distribution in the past. [[Fossil]] remains of potoos dating from the [[Eocene]] have been found in [[Germany]].<ref name="Mayr">{{Cite journal |last=Mayr, G |year=2005 |title=The Palaeogene Old World Potoo ''Paraprefica'' Mayr, 1999 (Aves, Nyctibiidae): its osteology and affinities to the New World Preficinae Olson, 1987 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=359–370 |doi=10.1017/S1477201905001653|s2cid=85093005 }}</ref> A complete skeleton of the genus ''[[Paraprefica]]'' has been found in [[Messel pit|Messel]], Germany. It had skull and leg features similar to those of modern potoos, suggesting that it may be an early close relative of the modern potoos. Because the only fossils other than these ancient ones that have been found are recent ones of extinct species, it is unknown if the family once had a global distribution which has contracted, or if the distribution of the family was originally restricted to Europe and has shifted to the Americas.<ref name=Mayr/>

A 1996 study of the [[mitochondrial DNA]] of the potoos supported the [[monophyly]] of the family although it did not support the previous assumption that it was closely related to the [[oilbird]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mariaux, Jean |last2=Braun, Michael J. |name-list-style=amp |year=1996 |title=A Molecular Phylogenetic Survey of the Nightjars and Allies (Caprimulgiformes) with Special Emphasis on the Potoos (Nyctibiidae) |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=228–244 |doi=10.1006/mpev.1996.0073 |pmid=8899725|s2cid=10538534 }}</ref> The study also found a great deal of genetic divergence between the species, suggesting that these species are themselves very old. The level of divergence is the highest of any genus of birds, being more typical of the divergence between genera or even families. The [[northern potoo]] was for a long time considered to be the same species as the [[common potoo]], but the two species have now been separated on the basis of their [[bird vocalization|calls]]. In spite of this there is no morphological way to separate the two species.<ref name="HBW" />

The family Nyctibiidae was introduced (as Nyctibie) in 1853 by the French naturalists [[Jean-Charles Chenu]] and [[Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs|Œillet des Murs]]. Prior to this, its species were classified in the [[Nightjar|Caprimulgidae]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chenu |first1=J.-C. |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47973654 |title=Encyclopédie d'Histoire Naturelle, Oiseaux: Part 2 |last2=Des Murs |first2=M.A.P.O. |date=1853 |volume=Oiseaux pt.2 |location=Paris |page=180 |author-link=Jean-Charles Chenu |author-link2=Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs}} For the publication date see: {{ cite book | last1=Dickinson | first1=E.C. | author1-link=Edward C. Dickinson | last2=Overstreet | first2=L.K. | last3=Dowsett | first3=R.J. | last4=Bruce | first4=M.D. | year=2011 | title=Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers | location=Northampton, UK | publisher=Aves Press | isbn=978-0-9568611-1-5 | pages=83–84 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267763194 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bock |first=Walter J. |url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/830 |title=History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |year=1994 |series=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |volume=222 |location=New York |page=232|hdl=2246/830 }}</ref>

=== Species ===
{{cladogram|caption=Phylogeny based on a study by Michael Braun and Christopher Huddleston published in 2009<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Braun |first1=Michael J. |last2=Huddleston |first2=Christopher J. |date=2009 |title=A molecular phylogenetic survey of caprimulgiform nightbirds illustrates the utility of non-coding sequences |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=948–960 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2009.08.025|pmid=19720151 }}</ref> and Costa ''et al.'', 2021<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal |last1=Costa |first1=Thiago V. V. |last2=Silveira |first2=Luís Fábio |last3=Posso |first3=Sérgio R. |last4=Donatelli |first4=Reginaldo J. |date=2021-03-01 |title=Phylogenetic analysis of the nocturnal avian family Nyctibiidae (Caprimulgiformes) inferred from osteological characters |journal=Zoologischer Anzeiger |language=en |volume=291 |pages=113–122 |doi=10.1016/j.jcz.2021.01.003 |s2cid=233915357 |issn=0044-5231|doi-access=free |hdl=11449/205963 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
|{{clade|style=font-size:80%;line-height:80%;width:420px;
|label1='''Nyctibiidae'''
|1={{Clade
|label1={{extinct}}[[Parapreficinae]]
|1={{extinct}}''[[Paraprefica]]''
|label2=[[Nyctibiinae]]
|2={{clade
|label1=''[[Phyllaemulor]]''
|1=[[Rufous potoo]] (''P. bracteatus'')
|label2=''[[Nyctibius]]''
|2={{Clade
|1=[[Great potoo]] (''N. grandis'')
|2={{Clade
|1=[[Long-tailed potoo]] (''N. aethereus'')
|2={{Clade
|1={{Clade
|1=[[Andean potoo]] (''N. maculosus'')
|2=[[White-winged potoo]] (''N. leucopterus'')
}}
|2={{Clade
|1=[[Common potoo]] (''N. griseus'')
|2=[[Northern potoo]] (''N. jamaicensis'')
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}

The family Nyctibiidae contains seven species in two genera:<ref name="ioc">{{Cite web |date=January 2022 |editor-last=Gill |editor-first=Frank |editor-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) |editor2-last=Donsker |editor2-first=David |editor3-last=Rasmussen |editor3-first=Pamela |editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen |title=Frogmouths, Oilbird, potoos, nightjars |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/nightjars/ |access-date=8 July 2022 |website=IOC World Bird List Version 12.1 |publisher=International Ornithologists' Union}}</ref>
* Family '''Nyctibiidae''' [[Jean-Charles Chenu|Chenu]] & [[Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs|Des Murs]], 1851
** Subfamily [[Nyctibiinae]] Chenu & Des Murs, 1851
*** Genus ''[[Phyllaemulor]]'' Costa, Whitney, Braun, White, Silveira & Cleere 2018
**** [[Rufous potoo]], ''Phyllaemulor bracteatus'' (Gould 1846)
*** Genus ''[[Nyctibius]]'' [[Louis Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]] 1816
**** [[Great potoo]], ''Nyctibius grandis'' (Gmelin 1789)
**** [[Long-tailed potoo]], ''Nyctibius aethereus'' (zu Wied-Neuwied 1820)
**** [[Northern potoo]], ''Nyctibius jamaicensis'' (Gmelin 1789)
**** [[Common potoo]] or lesser potoo, ''Nyctibius griseus'' (Gmelin 1789)
**** [[Andean potoo]], ''Nyctibius maculosus'' Ridgway 1912
**** [[White-winged potoo]], ''Nyctibius leucopterus'' (zu Wied-Neuwied 1821)
Prior to 2018, ''Nyctibius'' was considered the only extant genus within the Nyctibiidae; however, a study that year found a deep divergence between the rufous potoo and all other species in the genus, leading it to be described in the new genus ''Phyllaemulor'' and expanding the number of genera within the family.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Costa |first1=Thiago V. V. |last2=Whitney |first2=Bret M. |last3=Braun |first3=Michael J. |last4=White |first4=Noor D. |last5=Silveira |first5=Luís Fábio |last6=Cleere |first6=Nigel |date=2018-04-01 |title=A systematic reappraisal of the Rufous Potoo Nyctibius bracteatus (Nyctibiidae) and description of a new genus |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-017-1511-2 |journal=Journal of Ornithology |language=en |volume=159 |issue=2 |pages=367–377 |doi=10.1007/s10336-017-1511-2 |s2cid=4524359 |issn=2193-7206|url-access=subscription }}</ref> This was followed by the [[International Ornithologists' Union|International Ornithological Congress]] in 2022.<ref name="ioc" />

In addition, the fossil genus ''[[Paraprefica]]'', the only member of the extinct subfamily [[Parapreficinae]], is known from the Eocene of Germany (the [[Messel pit]]), marking the earliest fossil evidence of potoos. The fossil genus ''[[Euronyctibius]]'', from the [[Oligocene]] of [[France]], was formerly considered a potoo, but analysis supports it instead being a close relative of the [[oilbird]] (family Steatornithidae).<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mourer-Chauviré |first=C. |date=2013-12-01 |title=New data concerning the familial position of the genus Euronyctibius (Aves, Caprimulgiformes) from the paleogene of the Phosphorites du Quercy, France |url=https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031030113110117 |journal=Paleontological Journal |language=en |volume=47 |issue=11 |pages=1315–1322 |doi=10.1134/S0031030113110117 |s2cid=84167622 |issn=1555-6174|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Description==
The potoos are a highly conservative family in appearance, with all the species closely resembling one another; species accounts in ornithological literature remark on their unusual appearance.<ref name="HBW">Cohn-Haft, M (1999) "Family Nyctibiidae (Potoos)". ''in'' del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds). ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]]. Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds''. Lynx Editions. pp. 288–297 {{ISBN|84-87334-25-3}}</ref> Potoos range from {{cvt|21|-|58|cm}} in length. They resemble upright sitting [[nightjar]]s, a closely related family ([[Nightjar|Caprimulgidae]]). They also resemble the [[frogmouth]]s of Australasia, which are stockier and have much heavier [[beak|bills]]. They have proportionally large heads for their body size and long wings and tails. The large head is dominated by a massive broad bill and enormous eyes. In the treatment of the family in the ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]]'', Cohn-Haft describes the potoos as "little more than a flying mouth and eyes".<ref name="HBW" /> The bill, while large and broad, is also short, barely projecting past the face. It is delicate, but has a unique "tooth" on the cutting edge of the upper mandible that may assist in foraging. Unlike the closely related nightjars, the potoos lack rictal bristles around the mouth. The legs and feet are weak and used only for perching.

The eyes are large, even larger than those of nightjars. As in many species of [[nocturnal animal|nocturnal bird]]s, they reflect the light of flashlights.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Van Rossem, A |year=1927 |title=Eye shine in birds, with notes on the feeding habits of some goatsuckers |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v029n01/p0025-p0028.pdf |journal=The Condor |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=25–28 |doi=10.2307/1363006 |jstor=1363006}}</ref> Their eyes, which could be conspicuous to potential predators during the day, have unusual slits in the [[eyelid|lids]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Borrero, J |year=1974 |title=Notes on the structure of the upper eyelid of potoos (''Nyctibius'') |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v076n02/p0210-p0211.pdf |journal=The Condor |volume=76 |issue=2 |pages=210–211 |doi=10.2307/1366732 |jstor=1366732}}</ref> which allow potoos to sense movement even when their eyes are closed. Their [[plumage]] is [[crypsis|cryptic]], helping them blend into the branches on which they spend their days.

==Distribution and habitat==
The potoos have a [[Neotropics|Neotropical]] distribution.<ref name="HBW" /> They range from [[Mexico]] to [[Argentina]], with the greatest diversity occurring in the [[Amazon Basin]], which holds five species. They are found in every [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]]n country. They also occur on three [[Caribbean]] islands: [[Jamaica]], [[Hispaniola]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago|Tobago]]. The potoos are generally highly [[sedentism|sedentary]], although there are occasional reports of vagrants, particularly species that have traveled on ships. All species occur in humid forests, although a few species also occur in drier forests.

==Behavior==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2020}}
[[image:Nyctibius griseus 471885191 27f931630d o Crop.jpg|thumb|[[Common potoo]] camouflaged on a stump]]
The potoos are highly [[nocturnal]] and generally do not fly during the day. They spend the day perched on branches with the eyes half closed. With their cryptic plumage they resemble stumps, and should they detect potential danger they adopt a "freeze" position which even more closely resembles a broken branch.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Perry, D |year=1979 |title=The Great Potoo in Costa Rica |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v081n03/p0320-p0321.pdf |journal=The Condor |volume=81 |issue=3 |pages=320–321 |doi=10.2307/1367649 |jstor=1367649}}</ref><ref>Attenborough, D. 1998 ''The Life of Birds.'' BBC {{ISBN|0563-38792-0}}</ref> The transition between perching and the freeze position is gradual and hardly perceptible to the observer.

The English zoologist [[Hugh Cott]], describing ''[[Nyctibius griseus]]'' as "this wonderful bird", writes that it "habitually selects the top of an upright stump as a receptacle for its egg, which usually occupies a small hollow just, and only just, large enough to contain it ... the stump selected had thrown up a new leader just below the point of fracture ... and the birds sat facing this in such a way that when viewed from behind they came into line and blended with the grey stem."<ref>Cott, Hugh. 1940. ''Adaptive Coloration in Animals.'' Oxford University Press. pp. 352–353. See [[Hugh Cott]] for his drawing of a 'Poor-me-one'.</ref>

===Food and feeding===
Potoos feed at dusk and at night on flying insects.<ref name="HBW" /> Their typical foraging technique is to perch on a branch and occasionally fly out in the manner of a [[Old World flycatcher|flycatcher]] in order to snatch a passing insect. They occasionally fly to vegetation to glean an insect off it before returning to their perch, but they do not attempt to obtain prey from the ground. [[Beetle]]s form a large part of their diet, but they also take moths, grasshoppers and termites. One [[northern potoo]] was found with a small bird in its stomach as well. Having caught an insect, potoos swallow it whole without beating or crushing it.

===Breeding===
[[File:Mãe-da-lua-gigante (Nyctibius grandis).jpg|thumb|[[Great potoo]], ''Nyctibius grandis'']]
Potoos are [[monogamy in animals|monogamous]] breeders and both parents share responsibilities for [[avian incubation|incubating the egg]] and raising the chick. The family does not construct a [[bird nest|nest]] of any kind, instead laying the single egg on a depression in a branch or at the top of a rotten stump. The egg is white with purple-brown spots. One parent, often the male, incubates the egg during the day, then the duties are shared during the night. Changeovers to relieve incubating parents and feed chicks are infrequent to minimise attention to the nest, as potoos are entirely reliant on [[camouflage]] to protect themselves and their nesting site from predators. The chick hatches about one month after laying and the nestling phase is two months, a considerable length of time for a landbird. The plumage of nestling potoos is white and once they are too large to hide under their parents they adopt the same freeze position as their parents, resembling clumps of fungus.

===Defense===
The behaviors described above suggest that the common potoo adopts different defensive strategies to suit its circumstances. For a lone potoo, or a brooding adult with a potential predator close to the nest, the bird attempts to avoid detection by remaining motionless and relying on camouflage. If ineffective, the potoo breaks cover and attempts to intimidate the predator by opening its beak and eyes wide open while vocalizing or simply flies out of reach. Nocturnal predators rely less on vision for locating prey therefore a different strategy may be required at night.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ebird.org/species/compot1|title=Common Potoo - eBird|website=ebird.org}}</ref>

=== Vocalization ===
Potoos have a distinctive haunting song which consists of up to eight plaintive, whistled notes which progressively drop in pitch. These melancholic phrases are a characteristic sound of rainforest edge throughout much of the range of these species. When defending its nest, it sometimes makes dry, harsh tearing sounds and bill snaps in defense.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*Cestari, C., Guaraldo, A., & Gussoni, C (n.d.). Nesting behavior and parental care of common potoo (Nyctibius griseus) in southern Brazil. The Wilson journal of ornithology, 102–106
*Meek, K. (n.d.) Mobbing. Mobbing, 1–12

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nyctibius}}

*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/potoos-nyctibiidae Potoo videos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411213741/http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/potoos-nyctibiidae |date=2016-04-11 }} on the Internet Bird Collection

{{Strisores|A.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q15715881|from2=Q108117411}}

[[Category:Extant Eocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Nyctibiiformes| ]]

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Steatornithidae

Potoo