CreatureData

Great potoo

Nyctibius grandis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The great potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is a species in the family Nyctibiidae, order Nyctibiiformes. Recorded adults weigh 533 g to 557 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis)
Photo: Hector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the great potoo

Weight
533 g – 557 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the great potoo

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis)
Allissondias · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the great potoo live?

Not recorded

What is the great potoo?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The great potoo or grand potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America.

Much like owls, this species is nocturnal. It preys on large insects and small vertebrates, which it captures in sallies from high perches.

The great potoo is best known for its distinctive moaning growl, which echoes through the Neotropical night.

From the Wikipedia article “Great potoo” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_potoo&oldid=1382249980), 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 great potoo endangered?

The great 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. What the categories mean.

How is the great potoo classified?

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

Synonyms Caprimulgus grandis, Caprimulgus maximus, Nyctibius grandis grandis, Nyctibius grandis guatemalensis

Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • بوتو كبيرArabic
  • nictibi grosCatalan
  • potu velkýCzech
  • potŵ mawrWelsh
  • Stor PotuDanish
  • RiesentagschläferGerman
  • granda niktibioEsperanto
  • Pájaro EstacaSpanish
  • Bienparado grandeSpanish
  • Bienparado mayorSpanish
  • Nictibio grandeSpanish
  • Pájaro Estaca MayorSpanish
  • Urutaú grandeSpanish
  • suur-tüükasorrEstonian
  • isopökkelökehrääjäFinnish
  • Grand IbijauFrench
  • óriás-álmosmadárHungarian
  • Nittibio maggioreItalian
  • オオタチヨタカJapanese
  • 큰포투Korean
  • 큰포투쏙독새Korean
  • milžiniškasis didlėlysLithuanian
  • Vale ReuzennachtzwaluwDutch
  • nocolot wielkiPolish
  • urutau-grandePortuguese
  • Mãe-da-lua-gigantePortuguese
  • nictíbio-grandePortuguese
  • Исполинский уратаоRussian
  • Исполинский козодойRussian
  • Исполинский лесной козодойRussian
  • lelkovec veľkýSlovak
  • Veliki potuSerbian
  • större potoSwedish
  • Büyük PotoTurkish
  • Büyük PutuTurkish
  • поту великийUkrainian
  • 大林鴟Chinese
  • 大钩嘴夜鹰Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the great potoo

Other species in the same genus Nyctibius.

CompareGreat potoo vs Common potooGreat potoo vs Long-tailed potooGreat potoo vs Andean potooGreat potoo vs Northern potoo

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the great potoo?

An adult great potoo weighs 533 g – 557 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the great potoo endangered?

The great 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 great potoo?

The great potoo (Nyctibius grandis) 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). Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-potoo

MLA

“Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-potoo.

BibTeX
@misc{great_potoo_2026,
  title = {Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-potoo},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}