An Unusual Duet with One of Nature’s Best-Camouflaged Birds

The Common Potoo inspires a musician. Plus: Can you find the hidden bird in this video?

This story comes to you through a partnership between Audubon and BirdNote, a show that airs daily on public radio stations nationwide.

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The Common Potoo is a nocturnal bird of Central and South America, known for its camouflage plumage and upright perching. Nancy Rumbel, who composed the theme music for BirdNote, improvises here with the call of the Common Potoo. Using the pentatonic scale of the potoo, Rumbel responds with her ocarina. 

Learn more about the Common Potoo with Jonny Miller.

You can learn (and hear!) more at BirdNote.org

Call of the Common Potoo provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Recorded by P.P. Kellogg. Producer: John Kessler Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org July 2014 Narrator: Frank Corrado