• Potoos, also known as ghost birds, are a group of seven species of birds within the genus Nyctibius that mimic tree stumps and branches to blend into their environment.
• These birds have large heads with huge yellow eyes, and their bodies are grayish with splotches, giving them a ghostly appearance, and they are native to Central and South America.
• Potoos are known for their distinctive and mournful call, and they adopt a posture that makes them look like a broken branch, even on manmade structures like fence posts, using camouflage as their primary defense mechanism.

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The bird in this Instagram clip is one of the most extraordinary avians on the planet. It is a potoo, also known as the ghost bird. It's not just its appearance that's so unnerving; it also behaves bizarrely! Let us explain more.

Meet the Ghost Bird

Potoos are a group of seven species of birds within the genus Nyctibius, including the common potoo (Nyctibius griseus). They look like a combination of an owl and a nightjar. These birds have a large head with huge yellow eyes. Thanks to some notches in their eyelids, they can still watch for predators even when their eyes are almost closed. Once their eyes are open, they are large and bright yellow, often with asymmetrically dilated pupils.

Overall, their bodies are grayish with splotches, giving them a ghostly appearance. They prefer open forested habitats with scattered trees, such as forest edges, but can also be found along rivers or even roadsides.