CreatureData

Common potoo

Nyctibius griseus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The common potoo (Nyctibius griseus) is a species in the family Nyctibiidae, order Nyctibiiformes. Recorded adults weigh 166 g to 242 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Common potoo (Nyctibius griseus)
Photo: Luizalves1990 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the common potoo

Weight
166 g – 242 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
31.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the common potoo live?

Not recorded

What is the common potoo?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The common potoo (Nyctibius griseus), also known as the kakuy or urutaú, is one of seven species of birds within the genus Nyctibius. It is notable for its large, yellow eyes and a wide mouth. Potoos are nocturnal and are related to nightjars and frogmouths. They lack the characteristic bristles around the mouths of true nightjars.

From the Wikipedia article “Common potoo” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_potoo&oldid=1383589224), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the common potoo endangered?

The common potoo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the common potoo classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderNyctibiiformes
  5. familyNyctibiidae
  6. genusNyctibius
  7. SpeciesNyctibius griseus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

Synonyms Caprimulgus griseus

Other names and names in other languages (48)
  • بوتو شائعArabic
  • nictibi comúCatalan
  • potu obecnýCzech
  • potŵ cyffredinWelsh
  • PotuDanish
  • KlagetagschläferGerman
  • Urutau-TagschläferGerman
  • UrutautagschläferGerman
  • griza niktibioEsperanto
  • UrutaúSpanish
  • Bienparado comúnSpanish
  • Bienparado norteñoSpanish
  • GuajojoSpanish
  • Nictibio ComúnSpanish
  • nictibio urutánSpanish
  • Nictibio urutaúSpanish
  • pájaro estacaSpanish
  • Pájaro UrutaúSpanish
  • Urutaú comúnSpanish
  • Urutaú menorSpanish
  • hall-tüükasorrEstonian
  • harmaapökkelökehrääjäFinnish
  • Ibijau grisFrench
  • smeđokrili potuCroatian
  • közönséges álmosmadárHungarian
  • Nittibio comuneItalian
  • ハイイロタチヨタカJapanese
  • pilkasis didlėlysLithuanian
  • Grijze ReuzennachtzwaluwDutch
  • fløytepotuNorwegian
  • nocolot szaryPolish
  • urutáguaPortuguese
  • Mãe-da-luaPortuguese
  • nictíbio-comumPortuguese
  • UrutauPortuguese
  • urutau-comumPortuguese
  • Серый уратаоRussian
  • Серый исполинский козодойRussian
  • Серый лесной козодойRussian
  • lelkovec urutauSlovak
  • Obični potuSerbian
  • gråpotoSwedish
  • Bayağı PotoTurkish
  • Urutau PutusuTurkish
  • поту малийUkrainian
  • 灰林鴟Chinese
  • 普通林鴟Chinese
  • 钩嘴夜鹰Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the common potoo

Other species in the same genus Nyctibius.

LC, Least Concern
Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis)

Great potoo

Nyctibius grandis

Nyctibiidae

LC, Least Concern

Northern potoo

Nyctibius jamaicensis

NyctibiidaeNo free photo yet

CompareCommon potoo vs Great potooCommon potoo vs Long-tailed potooCommon potoo vs Andean potooCommon potoo vs Northern potoo

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the common potoo?

An adult common potoo weighs 166 g – 242 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the common potoo endangered?

The common potoo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the common potoo?

The common potoo (Nyctibius griseus) belongs to the family Nyctibiidae in the order Nyctibiiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Common potoo (Nyctibius griseus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-potoo

MLA

“Common potoo (Nyctibius griseus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-potoo.

BibTeX
@misc{common_potoo_2026,
  title = {Common potoo (Nyctibius griseus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-potoo},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}