Black-throated Mango vs Common Potoo

Anthracothorax nigricollis compared with Nyctibius griseus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-throated Mango	Common Potoo
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Nyctibiiformes (Nyctibiiformes)
Family	Trochilidae	Nyctibiidae
Genus	Anthracothorax	Nyctibius
Species	Anthracothorax nigricollis	Nyctibius griseus

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-throated Mango and Common Potoo share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Black-throated Mango

LC — Least Concern

Common Potoo

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-throated Mango	Common Potoo
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-throated Mango

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Common Potoo

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Black-throated Mango

A large, striking hummingbird of tropical forests from southern Mexico to Argentina, black-throated mangos have dramatic sexual dimorphism — males display glittering black throat and breast with violet and green flanks and a bold purple tail, while females are white below with a central black stripe. Inhabiting forest edges, clearings, and gardens, they aggressively defend flowering trees. Males perform spectacular aerial display flights at treetop height. Listed as Least Concern across their broad neotropical range.

Common Potoo

A nocturnal bird of tropical forests across Central and South America from Mexico to Argentina, common potoos are masters of cryptic camouflage, roosting motionless on broken tree stumps or branches during the day with eyes barely open, resembling bark so perfectly they are nearly invisible to predators. At night they hunt large insects from exposed perches with their enormous gape. Their mournful, wailing calls — often described as haunting or eerie — carry through tropical forest nights.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela