potoo

noun

po·​too

pōˈtü

plural potoos

: any of a family (Nyctibiidae) of large, nocturnal, solitary birds that are native to tropical Central and South America and the West Indies, are related to the nightjars, and have variably-patterned gray, brown, and black plumage

Potoos normally assume a motionless posture during the day, perched upright on horizontal branches or on top of a broken branch relying heavily on their cryptic coloration.

—César Cestari et al., Wilson Journal of Ornithology, March 2011

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