Nyctibius aethereus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Superordo: Caprimulgimorphae
Ordo: Nyctibiiformes

Familia: Nyctibiidae
Genus: Nyctibius
Species: Nyctibius aethereus
Subspecies: N. a. aethereus – N. a. chocoensis – N. a. longicaudatus
Name

Nyctibius aethereus (Wied-Neuwied, 1820)

Type locality: Rio Mucuri [Macure], Bahia, Brazil.

Synonyms

Caprimulgus aethereus (protonym)

References

Wied-Neuwied, M. zu 1820-1821. Reise nach Brasilien in den Jahren; 1815 bis 1817. Frankfurt a.M. H.L. Brönne. Vol.1 BHL. 1820: vi + 376 pp. + 1 (unnumbered), 1 map. Vol.2 BHL. 1821: xviii + 345 pp. + 1 (unnumbered), 16 plates, 1 map. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.85967Reference page. 1 First availability p. 234, note BHL

Vernacular names
čeština: Potu dlouhoocasý
English: Long-tailed Potoo
français: Ibijau à longue queue
português: Mãe-da-lua-parda
中文: 長尾林鴟

The long-tailed potoo (Nyctibius aethereus) is a species of bird in the family Nyctibiidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.[2][3]
Taxonomy and systematics

The long-tailed potoo has three subspecies, the nominate Nyctibius aethereus aethereus, N. a. chocoensis, and N. a. longicaudatus. Several authors maintain that longicaudatus should be treated as a separate species with chocoensis as a subspecies of it.[2][4]
Description

The long-tailed potoo is 42 to 58 cm (17 to 23 in) long and weighs 280 to 447 g (9.9 to 15.8 oz). The nominate subspecies' upperparts are tawny brown. The crown and nape have buff spots and speckles and blackish brown streaks. The mantle, back, and rump are mottled brown and buff and have blackish brown streaks. The tail is graduated and overall brown, with tawny buff barring and brown streaks or vermiculation. Much of the face is tawny and it has a buffish "moustache". The wings are generally brown with broad pale tawny bars. The chin and throat are grayish buff. The breast and flanks are brown with buff speckles, blackish brown streaks, and bold buff and blackish brown spots. The lower belly is buff with brown streaks and vermiculation.[5]

N. a. longicaudatus is smaller than the nominate subspecies; often it is a more tawny brown overall and especially on the breast. N. a. chocoensis is smaller than longicaudatus but darker. The black streaks on the upperparts are larger and bolder and the brown base color tends towards chestnut.[5]
Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of long-tailed potoo is found in far northeastern Argentina, southeastern Paraguay, and southeastern Brazil approximately from Minas Gerais and southern Bahia south to Paraná. N. a. chocoensis is found only in western Colombia's Chocó Department. N. a. longicaudatus is by far the most widely distributed. It is found in Amazonia from Ecuador and Peru east through southern Colombia and Venezuela to the Guianas, in far northern Bolivia, and in much of western Brazil.[5][3]

The long-tailed potoo inhabits the interiors of lowland tropical evergreen forests. It is usually found from the understory to the subcanopy. The forests range in humidity from rather dry to very wet. In the Atlantic Forest region, the nominate subspecies is found as high as 1,200 m (3,900 ft). The other subspecies occur at lower elevations, reaching only 700 m (2,300 ft) in Ecuador and 750 m (2,460 ft) in Peru.[5]
Behavior
Feeding

The long-tailed potoo is nocturnal. It forages by sallying for flying insects in short flights from a perch, looking "clumsy and over-sized". Its diet has not been detailed but is known to include termites, moths, and beetles.[5]
Roosting

The long-tailed potoo roosts during the day, usually on a dead stub or branch up to 20 m (66 ft) above the ground. If approached it stretches its body vertically and freezes.[5]
Breeding

The nesting season of the long-tailed potoo has not been fully defined. In Paraguay, one nest was active from late August through November. In French Guiana nesting was reported between July and September. The species does not make a conventional nest, but lays its single egg on top of a stump or on a branch in a depression or bend.[5]

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to long-tailed potoo on xeno-canto
Vocalization

The long-tailed potoo's song is "a soft, undulating waa-OO-uh or ra-OOH", and is sung mostly at night and especially on moonlit ones. It also makes "a distinctive series of owl-like hoots or woof notes."[5]
Status

The IUCN has assessed the long-tailed potoo as being of Least Concern, though its population is unknown and believed to be decreasing.[1] Though N. a. longicaudatus has a very large range, Amazonia is undergoing increasing deforestation. The other two subspecies have very limited ranges and the Atlantic Forest habitat of the nominate subspecies has been reduced to remnants.[5]
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Long-tailed Potoo Nyctibius aethereus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.2)". Retrieved July 14, 2021.
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
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. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
Gibson, S. (2020). Long-tailed Potoo (Nyctibius aethereus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lotpot1.01 retrieved October 18, 2021