Grab your binoculars and a good flashlight, explorers! Today, Aimee is taking us deep into the tropical rainforests of Central and South America to meet a feathered friend that loves the dark, has a mouth like a giant bug net, and looks exactly like a broken piece of wood!

In this episode, we’re quietly sneaking through the trees to learn all about the sneaky, spooky, wonderful... Great Potoo! You’ll learn:

• The Broken Branch Bird: Discover how the Great Potoo uses amazing Camouflage to look exactly like an old, dead tree stump to hide from predators in plain sight.
• Magic Eyelids: Learn about their special superpower—tiny slits in their eyelids that act like invisible spy-glasses, letting them watch the forest even when their giant yellow eyes are completely closed!
• A Mouth Like a Bug Net: Find out why these Nocturnal birds wait for the sun to go down so they can open their enormous mouths to swallow flying beetles and moths right out of the dark sky.
• The Ghostly Song: We'll listen for their famous, deep, echoing call that sounds like a spooky growl echoing through the dark trees to say hello to their family.
• The Lazy Nest Builder: Discover why mommy potoos don't bother building a nest out of sticks and mud, and instead just carefully balance their single fluffy egg in a tiny crack on a branch!

Get ready to trek through the dark rainforest and learn all about one of the most clever and sneaky members of the animal kingdom!

Thank you for listening!

The Great Potoo is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, their habitats are vulnerable to destruction due to deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture. If you would like to help the Great Potoo and birds like it, consider supporting:
American Bird Conservancy

Don't forget to rate and follow Animals with Aimee for notifications about our new episodes!

Join Aimee's Animal Lovers Club for activity sheets, birthday shout-outs, and more!