'I immediately ran back to gather the rest ofthegroup and informthemofmy discovery. I had this awful feeling that the could have picked another branch to sleep on while I gathered the people to show him off. Fortunately the creature didn't think people were worth interrupting his sleep although he knew he was being closely watched. After several photographs and aboutfif­ teen minutes of observation, the group moved on leaving me behind to admire the beauty of the bird. But now let me describe the . Besides the fact that the bird is nearly impossible to detect during the daytime it really fits no accurate description, otherthanit resembles the continuation of a dead tree trunk. It is colored in buffs, browns, and blacks. It doesn't seem to have a definite pattern other than all members of this have a creamy-white throat patch. The tail, which is barred with black, has an intri­ cate weaving ofsubtle brownish colors as do the back and abdomen. It also sports a necklace ofuneven black spots on its upper breast. It measures fifteen inches in length. The potoo relies on its cryptic coloration to protect it from o o predators. by When humans sight the bird they Mark Letzer always find it with its head directed Baltimore, Maryland straight up in the air and the rest of its body in a stiff branch-like posture. Before you read the article or finish out at 5:00 a.m., so we would meet with only take this position when reading this caption, see ifyou canfind the the rest of the group by 6:30 a.m. they sense the presence of predators, bird in thephoto. This is an extraordinary We finally set out to bird an area for otherwise they assume a slumped, example ofnatural camouflage to protect known as "Black Tank Road:' After resting position on the branch. When a birdfrom predators. You haven'tfound walking a couple of miles and seeing any unexplained movement has been ityet? Okay, check the endofthe stump. On many new species of , from black noticed, the bird very slowly assumes it, an extension ofthe stump, ifyou will, is a commonpotoo ( yctibiu griseu Jwhich crested jays to green honeycreepers,I the erect position, trying to sit in reality is nota very common birdatall. still had the potoo in the back of my undetected. During the day the potoo mind. Many Amazon parrots filled the maintains its eyes closed to a slit, but I air with their constant chatter as they noticed, while looking at it with my After two years of almost constantly flew overhead, and this, mixedwiththe binoculars, that it had its eyelids partly searching for the common potoo, Nyc­ morning mist that had collected on the open trying to inspect the sur­ tibius griseus, in the Panamanian fronds of many plants, gave one the roundings. jungles, I finally stumbled, quite by sense of delight that can only be Inasmuch as the potoo is nocturnal in accident, onto the elusive bird on the experienced while communing with its habits, at the coming ofdusk it leaves Caribbean slope of the Republic. The nature. its perch to hunt for , the sight of this bird made me feel the Once we were deep in the trail I mainstay of its diet. Its behavior is wonderful sen e of accomplishment eparated from the group, for I believe rather "flycatcher-like" as it leaves its that one finds only after enduring that the presence of too many people perch, grabs an in flight and numerous hardships. usually tends to scare birds away. I had returns to the same spot. The bird's eyes I had earched for this bird at night walked the equivalent of a city block glow orange when sighted with a using a powerful potlight and during when, still with the thought of potoos spotlight. Its call is one of the most daylight hours, all to no avail. inthe back ofmy mind, I came to a small mournful of all tropical birds. He is I was thrilled to learn of a bird­ clearing on the side of the road. Here I known as "poor-me-all-alone" in South watching trip that was scheduled for happened to look to my left and noticed America. Its call begins with a high note the sixteenth ofJune to the Caribbean a vertical log reaching about fifteen feet and, slowly descending in scale, side of the Republic by the Panama into the air. To my surprise, on the finishes with the lowest one. Audubon Society. I had never birded summit of this log lay a beautiful com­ Thepotoousually nests high up inthe this area so I was really lookingforward mon potoo. The surprise and excite­ tree canopy, using the depression left to it, for there are many species ofbirds ment I felt is indescribable by any bya broken-offbranchfor its nest site. It that are found only in this area. We set literary means. lays one egg in this depression and in-

36 cubates it for approximately a month. The T-Shirt For The Bird Lover Alexander Skutch (Birds of Tropical $9.95 America, 1983) says about the incuba­ 50% cot., 50% poly. tion, "The potoos always incubated white, It. blue, heather facing the supporting branch with the blue, beige long axis of the body vertical, the base adult sizes - S, M, L, XL children sizes - S, M, L ofthe abdomen covering the single egg, and the long tail touching the branch below." Skutch goes on to say that the LONG-SLEEVE egg, being white splotched with grey T-SHIRT $12.95 and lilac, seems to be glued in place and Colombian blue that the parents never rotate it. adult sizes - S, M, L Skutch also mentions, "If we count from the hatching of the egg to the first LONG-SLEEVE time the young potoo was seen any­ SWEATSHIRT where but on the nest or the branch $16.00·. beside it, the nestling period was forty­ grey - adult sizes-S,M,L seven days (Jan. 4-Feb. 20). Ifwe count from hatching to its departure from the All items brightly silk-screened with nest tree on Feb. 24, the nestling period PLANNED PARROTHOOD@ design was fifty-one days. Add to that at least thirty-three days for incubation, and we NOTEPADS $2.95 BUMPER STICKERS have at least eighty-four days for the 50 sheets ea. 3 for $795 $150 total occupancy of the nest tree:' He also mentions that it is a long time for HATCH CERTIFICATES HATCH RECORD CARDS any bird to reach fledgling age while Numbered 25 for $595 5 x 8 25 for $295 • being perched in such a precarious Send check or money order plus $1.50 location. postage & handling (NYS residents add tax) Common potoos have been kept in to' captivity by only one person that I am aware of. NathanB. Gale, DVM., kept a .Planned Parrothood ® pair in an aviary for nearly a year. He Old Quaker Lane, Dept. AWB, Highland Mills, NY 10930 mentions that in the time he kept them they never made their call. He fed them a diet of 8-10 pinkie mice per night. 14" They simply opened their two-inch gapes and he would drop them in. This LOVE was enough food per night. He also went on to say that you couldn't BIRD possibly give them the insect supply that they would need in one night while BREEDING in captivity. The following measurements were UNIT given by Alexander Wetmore in the sec­ ond volume ofhis book The Birdsofthe • SPACE SAVING AND HYGIENIC Republic ofPanama: • ATTRACTIVE AN D PRACTICAL "Males - (15 from Panama and • SUCCESSFULLY TRIED Colombia), wing 264-282 (271.3), tail • REASONABLY PRICED 174-196 (182), culmen from base COST 24.2-29.8 (26.2), tarsus 12.0-14.8 Breeding Unit as shown 481bs. $135.00 (13.3) mIll. 4 Nest Boxes 3/4" Pine 251bs. 40.00 4 Clear Plastic Soft 6lbs. 24.00 Females - C3 from Panama and Floor Covers 1/16" x 12" x 36" Colombia), wing 268-282 (275), tail $199.00 Total Cost 178-196 (185), culmen from base + Shipping 25.5-27.6 (26.4), tarsus 13.0-13.5 (13.2) mm:' • Wire V, x 216 gao G.B.W. Wetmore calls this bird the lesser • Unit Shipped Unassembled ~estO· • All Orders Shipped UPS potoo. • Michigan Residents Add 4% Sales Tax • Please enclose self·addressed stamped The potoos are found exclusively in envelope for more information on our the neotropics, from Mexico to north­ new quality aviaries and cages. ern Argentina. Panama has two of the five species that comprise the Nyc­ 1001 SCHUSTER tibiidae family. The other Panamanian KALAMAZOO, MI49001 relative is the rare and much looked for SEND ORDER TO: [C'Corners Umlted PHONE (616) 345-2174 great potoo.• 37