White-winged Potoo Nyctibius leucopterus Scientific name definitions

White-winged Potoo is a poorly known, patchily distributed species of Amazonia. It appears to favor shorter forests on nutrient poor soils particularly white-sand forest. It appears to have similar habitats to the other members of its genus, but is seldom seen with little documentation of its life history. The species is distinctive with a long and broad white wing patch. Though its type locality is in southeastern Brazil, it is most widespread in Amazonia.

24–29 cm; 77–85 g in Amazonia, weight of eastern form unknown. Relatively short-tailed  ; dark brown  , paler below  ; conspicuous, large white patch across secondary coverts. Sexes apparently alike. Variability in extent of white wing patch and of reddish tones in brown may be age- or sex-related. Amazonian form much smaller than eastern, the two virtually identical in coloration.

Lowlands of Amazonia in E Venezuela (3 Marantz, C.A., Ascanio, D. and Daniels, B.E. (2011). First records of White-winged Nyctibius leucopterus and Rufous Potoos N. bracteatus in Venezuela. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 131(1): 41–53. Close ), N Brazil, the Guianas (4 Claessens, O., Pelletier, V. and Ingels, J. (2005). First records of White-winged Potoo Nyctibius leucopterus for French Guiana. Alauda 73(1): 61–68. Close , 5 Renaudier, A. and Comité d’Homologation de Guyane (2010). Rare birds in French Guiana in 2005–07. Cotinga. 32: 75–83. Close ) and E Peru (6 Alvarez, J. and Whitney, B.M. (2003). New distributional records of birds from white-sand forests of the northern Peruvian Amazon, with implications for biogeography of northern South America. Condor. 105(3): 552–566. Close ), in distantly scattered localities, probably occurring throughout; also Bahia (7 Whitney, B.M., Pacheco, J.F., Silveira, L.F. and Laps, R.R. (2003). Rediscovery of Nyctibius leucopterus (White-winged Potoo) in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Ararajuba 11(1): 1–4. Close ) and Espírito Santo (8 da Costa, T.V.V., Andretti, C.B., Laranjeiras, T.O. and Rosa, G.A.B. (2010). Discovery of White-winged Potoo Nyctibius leucopterus in Espírito Santo, Brazil, with remarks on its distribution and conservation in the Atlantic Forest. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 130(4): 260–265. Close ), in E Brazil.

In Amazonia, canopy of primary lowland terra firme rainforest, including lighter forest on sandy soil. In E Brazil, habitat unknown; species presumed to occur similarly in canopy of primary Atlantic rainforest.

Probably sedentary.

Small to medium-sized flying insects, including beetles, moths, cicadas, mantids, orthopterans, winged termites, and true bugs. Forages by sallying into air from exposed perches at night.

Haunting, melancholy, whistled song in Amazonia, given mostly on moonlit nights: a gradually descending, pure-toned "feeeoooooo" lasting c. 4 seconds; sometimes rising slightly at beginning. Call a soft, single or repeated “bweep”.

Unknown. Habits presumed to be similar to those of congeners; nest probably situated in canopy.

Not globally threatened. E Brazilian form is unknown in life, and probably limited to remnant patches of Atlantic rainforest, where it is highly threatened or possibly even extinct. Amazonian form, only recently discovered, has been found as being common to uncommon at scattered distant localities; probably occurs throughout Amazonia in appropriate habitat, where the biggest threat comes from continued destruction of pristine forest.