Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) When a roosting Tawny Frogmouth is discovered, it usually adopts a cryptic posture which makes it resemble a broken-off branch: it perches stiffly, sleeking its plumage and orientating its tail along the branch, and narrowing its eyes to slits. In addition, its plumage, a blend of spots, blotches and streaks of grey, brown, black and tawny, blends in almost perfectly with its surroundings. However, at night, when not roosting in disguise, frogmouths they are much easier to spot.
Research featured in the 'State of Australia's Birds 2015' headline and regional reports shows significant overall declines for the Tawny Frogmouth across all but one of the regions in which they occur. This is cause for concern and further investigation is needed to understand the factors that are driving this decline across regions.
Description
The general plumage of the Tawny Frogmouth is silver-grey, slightly paler below, streaked and mottled with black and rufous. A second plumage phase also occurs, with birds being russet-red. The eye is yellow in both forms, and the wide, heavy bill is olive-grey to blackish. South-eastern birds are larger than birds from the north. Tawny Frogmouths are nocturnal birds (night birds). During the day, they perch on tree branches, often low down, camouflaged as part of the tree.
Similar Species
In Australia there are two other species of frogmouth. The Papuan Frogmouth,P. papuensis, is confined to the Cape York Peninsula and is larger, with an orange-red eye. The other species is the Marbled Frogmouth, P. ocellatus, which is similar in size to the Tawny Frogmouth, but is found only in the rainforests of far north Queensland and on the Queensland-New South Wales border, and it has an orange-yellow eye. Both species also occur in New Guinea. With their nocturnal habit and owl-like appearance, Tawny Frogmouths are often confused with owls, but are actually more closely related to the nightjars. Their feet are weak however, and lack the curved talons of owls.
Distribution
The Tawny Frogmouth is found throughout Australia, including Tasmania.
Habitat
The Tawny Frogmouth can be seen in almost any habitat type except the denser rainforests and treeless deserts.
Feeding
The bulk of the Tawny Frogmouth's diet is made up of nocturnal insects, worms, slugs and snails. Small mammals, reptiles, frogs and birds are also eaten. Most food is obtained by pouncing to the ground from a tree or other elevated perch. Some prey items, such as moths, are caught in flight
Breeding
Tawny Frogmouths have a regular breeding season, but birds in more arid areas may breed in response to heavy rains. Both sexes incubate the eggs. The male sits during the day, but both sexes share sitting at night. The nest is a loose platform of sticks, which is usually placed on a horizontal forked tree branch. Normally only one brood is raised in a season, but birds from the south may have two.
List of References
- Image - Ged Tranter eBird S43361221 Macaulay Library ML 90337951 , Adult and immature, digital photograph, accessed 10 October 2022, https://ebird.org/species/tawfro1.
- Text - birdlife Australia 2022, Tawny Frogmouth, Last modified June 2022, https://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/tawny-frogmouth
- Background - Ged Tranter eBird S45726231 Macaulay Library ML 100447961, Adult, digital photograph, accessed 10 October 2022, https://ebird.org/species/tawfro1.
To find the Cache
