Head to head
Potoo vs Tawny Frogmouth
Potoos and frogmouths are both nocturnal, big-headed, wide-gaped birds that spend the day frozen in a camouflage pose and are frequently confused with owls, although they are relatives of the nightjars rather than the owls. They also get mixed up with each other, but they live on different continents and hunt in different ways.
| Potoo | Tawny Frogmouth | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Nyctibiidae (potoos) | Podargidae (frogmouths) |
| Where it lives | The Americas only | Australia, New Guinea, and southern Asia |
| Perch posture | Bolt upright on top of a broken branch | Lengthwise along a branch, pressed to the bark |
| Bill | Small, opening to a huge gape | Broad, flat, heavy, hooked, frog-like |
| How it hunts | Sallies out to catch flying insects, then returns | Pounces to the ground on prey |
| Prey | Mostly large flying insects | Insects, worms, snails, spiders, small vertebrates |
| Nest | A single egg on a bare branch top, no nest | A loose platform of sticks |
| Also famous for | Looking startled in flash photos | Looking startled in flash photos |
Potoo vs Frogmouth: common questions
Are potoos and frogmouths types of owl?
No. They look owl-like, with large eyes, big heads, cryptic plumage, and a nocturnal, insect-hunting life, but that is convergence. Both belong to a group of birds that also contains the nightjars, the oilbird, and, more distantly, the swifts and hummingbirds, and within that group they sit apart from the true owls, which are a separate order. The clearest differences are the feet and the hunting method. An owl has powerful grasping talons and takes prey in its feet, while potoos and frogmouths have weak feet used only for perching and catch prey in the bill. Owls also have the asymmetric ears and specialised silent flight that potoos and frogmouths lack.
How do I tell a potoo from a frogmouth?
Start with the continent, because their ranges do not overlap: a bird of this type in the Americas is a potoo, and one in Australia, New Guinea, or southern Asia is a frogmouth. Then look at how it is sitting. A potoo perches on the very top of a stump or post, sitting straight up with its bill pointed at the sky, so it looks like a vertical continuation of the wood. A frogmouth perches along a branch, lying against it and angling its head up, so it looks like a broken side branch or a knot. The bills differ too: a potoo has a small bill that hides a wide gape, while a frogmouth has a massive, broad, flat, hooked bill that is obvious even at rest.
Why do these birds go viral online?
Because of the contrast between how they look by day and how they look in a photograph taken at night. During daylight, in their camouflage freeze, both potoos and frogmouths are almost impossible to see and completely still. But a camera flash after dark catches them with their enormous eyes wide open and, often, their huge mouths agape, giving an expression that reads as shocked, delighted, grumpy, or judgemental depending on the caption. Images of the common potoo and the tawny frogmouth have circulated widely on social media for years under labels about the bird being amazed or unimpressed. The pictures are genuine; the birds really do look like that when disturbed at night.