Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) - Parque das Aves, Foz do Iguaçu, Brasil - December 2023 ( lemmy.blahaj.zone )

Stovetop , 3 months ago

My favorite bird. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and this bird's soul screams unabridged chaos.

anon6789 , 3 months ago

So that's what they made out of all the spare owl parts laying around! 😮

I knew there had to be some awesome facts out there for anything this ridiculous looking.

Fact 1 - Potoo are masters of camouflage

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/4a70ac42-495b-44a7-b804-caed78879b20.jpeg

They pose as a dead branch all day.

Fact 2 - Potoo can see with their eyes closed

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/efea94e0-d56f-4a3e-8ed7-41fa3daa8cbc.png

These 2 slits let them see while those bright yellow eyes are hidden away.

Fact 3 - Potoo nests are invisible

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/a677828f-4433-470d-b467-fb1f5af66685.png

That's because they kinda don't have one. That dead branch they spend all day sitting on? That's the nest. They already sit there all day anyway. With a minimal footprint of... none, camo becomes easy. They just toss out any poop and then there's nothing to see or smell for anything looking for a nest.

Fact 4 - Potoo start training early

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/7e69fe19-0511-41a8-8003-10155d39fefa.jpeg

Baby Potoo learn the Potoo Pose right away to stay alive.

Which Potoo fact was the best?

I liked the stealthy eyes.

ada OP , 3 months ago

I love their patience! They're very similar to Tawny Frogmouths here in Australia, who both do the whole "I'm a stick" thing all day.

anon6789 , 3 months ago

I had previously preferred the Frogmouth to the Potoo because it didn't look as silly, but now after my fact finding, I'm a bit split.

I wouldn't make a good Potoo or Frogmouth. I don't think I've ever sat still for more than 30 seconds in my life!

Thanks for posting the Bin Chicken a while back. It was fun to learn about that, mainly for the name. I believe it is the White Ibis we have in Florida and they were always snatching people's food whenever we were at Disney World. They just made me think they were basically fancy seagulls due to their constant pestering.

Do Australians ever get excited or weirded out at common American animals? Since all your stuff we get worked up about is fairly normal to you since you live there, does it work the other way where an Australian would get excited to see some animal that is boring to us? Bears? Elk or Moose? Rattlesnakes? It's hard thinking of things that might be strange for someone else...

ada OP , 3 months ago

Yeah, it definitely works the other way. I can't believe you just have squirrels running around in parks. I've never seen a squirrel in person :)

anon6789 , 3 months ago

Hah, yes, that's definitely a good example. Those things are everywhere there's a tree.

I forget if I made friends with them before or after the blue jays during my work from home period. They both love the peanuts in the shell, so I couldn't feed one without the other, and it's fun to see them both be the first to the nut.

I did gain the trust of 2 of them enough where they didn't run when I opened the door, and I did get one to take a nut from my hand, but after it put it's hand in mine to grab the nut and I got a decent scratch without it actually trying to hurt me, I went back to just tossing them. 😅

They're fun little things to watch and listen to, and they can be very graceful and hop like little furry dolphins, and other times they're just obnoxious trying to rob my bird feeders blind or attempting to climb my siding or sliding door.

I can tell them apart by their personalities though, they are definitely individuals, just like my jays are, and I'm glad I've gotten to know them.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/7ed46daa-628f-4978-b0ca-9051fee495fd.png

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/be60dc3b-cd47-47a5-b807-97b52da863ab.png

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/619a447c-ffd9-43ed-b00d-5a14fe382378.png

ada OP , 3 months ago

I love them! They're like the naughtier, more energetic versions of our brush tailed possums

anon6789 , 3 months ago

I went to watch some videos of the possums, and thinking of them in the context of squirrels, they felt excruciatingly slow! 😄

They don't have that springy weightlessness of a squirrel, and it felt more like watching a monkey.

There were 4 squirrels in the back yard when I got home, so I gave them peanuts for about 20 minutes for you!

I will mail you 2 squirrels in exchange for a kookaburra!