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Name : Great potoo ( Nyctibius grandis )

Where it subsist : Central and South America

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What it eats : big insects , bat and small hiss

Why it ’s awful : The great potoo is a passe-partout of disguise . Its mottled grey - brownish feathers and ability to remain perfectly still often cause it to be false for a tree branch or stump , helping it evade detection by marauder .

Native to the forests and tropic lowlands of Central and South America , this nocturnal razz can grow to 24 column inch ( 60 centimeters ) tall and has a wingspread of more than 28 inches ( 70 cm ) . Its gray , brown and white feather helps it flux seamlessly with the bark of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree it lands on , stool it nearly undetectable by other animals .

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By solar day , great potoos stay on silent and still in the trees . But at night , they become active hunters . Their large , owl - like center , which protrude from the sides of their heads , provide fantabulous sight in low - light conditions . Equipped with a large , flattened beak and mouth , these hoot are well - accommodate to snatching quarry such as fly insects and bats out of the melodic phrase .

Great potoos also have slits in their eyelids , which enable them toseewhen their eyes are shut down . These " snick " help the birds to sense light and movement through their shut eyelids , so they can discover piranha and quarry even when rest .

Great potoos are also unusual thanks to their distinctive phone call . Throughout the dark , they emit a tawdry , moan growl . This apparitional call has earned the bird a mythical status in localfolklore , with some communities in South America consider the sounds to be kid call up for lost parents . These telephone call are used for communicating and to defend their territory .

Wandering Salamander (Aneides vagrans)

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Potoos are monogamous birds , forming lifelong pairs that portion out the responsibilities of incubation and give care for their young . Female great potoos lay a single nut in a raw clinical depression on a tree diagram outgrowth , so they rely on their camouflage and sight to protect themselves and their progeny .

The brooding period of time for great potoo nut is around 30 days , with both parents sharing the responsibility of incubating the egg . Due to their elusive nature , not much is known about their lifespan — but they are believe to live for around 12 to 14 years , like other raspberry species .

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