VOCAL ACTIVITY OF THE GREAT POTOO (NYCTIBIUS GRANDIS) IN RELATION TO MOONLIGHT: DETECTIONS IN COSTA RICA

ZÁRATE VALENTÍN; AGOSTINA SILVIA JUNCOSA

ORNITOLOGIA NEOTROPICAL

NEOTROPICAL ORNITHOLOGICAL SOC

Lugar: ALEMANIA; Año: 2021 vol. 32 p. 74 - 76

1075-4377

Variations in moonlight can affect the vocal activity of many nocturnal birds, including the Great Potoo (Nyctibius grandis), a rarely seen bird usually detected through its characteristic vocalizations. We evaluated the vocal activity of the Great Potoo in relation to moonlight in a tropical forest of Costa Rica. We surveyed potoos using four replicated 13-minute counts, covering a single moon cycle, at 31 points in La Selva Biological Station during March and April 2020. We detected seven individuals on nights with 76‒100% moonlight, seven with 51-75%, and we did not detect any with 0-25%, or 26-50%. Great Potoos were mostly detected during moonlit nights, which is consistent with other studies about other nocturnal birds, and suggests that future studies modeling occupancy or habitat use of Great Potoos should consider moonlight as a covariate of detectability.