Animal Species:Tawny Frogmouth
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.
Tawny Frogmouth with prey
WK Clifford
© Australian Museum
Identification
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.
Size range
34 cm to 53 cm
Similar Species
Papuan Frogmouth, Marbled Frogmouth
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), including heath, forest and woodlands, urban and rural areas.
Feeding and Diet
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, which has led to many unfortunate instances of birds being hit by cars while chasing insects illuminated in the beam of the headlights.
Other behaviours and adaptations
During the day, the Tawny Frogmouth perches on a tree branch, often low down, camouflaged as part of the tree.
Communication
A soft, deep and continuous low oom oom oom. Also makes a loud hissing noise when threatened.
Mating and reproduction
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.
- Breeding Season: August to December
- Clutch size: 2 to 3
Conservation Status
There are many unfortunate instances of Tawny Frogmouths being hit by cars while chasing insects illuminated in the beam of the headlights.
Classification
- Species:
- strigoides
- Genus:
- Podargus
- Family:
- Podargidae
- Order:
- Caprimulgiformes
- Class:
- Aves
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Higgins, P.J. (ed) 1999. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, Volume 4 (Parrots to Dollarbird). Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
- Strahan, R. (ed) 1994. Cuckoos, Nightbirds and Kingfishers of Australia. Angus and Robertson/Australian Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife, Sydney.
Ondine Evans
, Web Researcher/Editor
Last Updated:
Tags tawny frogmouth, nocturnal, birds, biby,
13 comments
What cuties! Thanks for the pic.
Hi Laura, sorry to take so long to get back to you about the frogmouths, I've been away for 2 months. How are they going? To answer your question, it isn't always easy to sex frogmouths. Depending on which part of Australia you live, the birds you are looking after will be chestnut, rufous or grey morph. If they are grey morph, it will probably be hard to tell their sex, as male Tawyny Frogmouths are virtually always grey and the only real difference between sexes in the grey morph will be size; as a generalisation, adult males tend to be bigger than females, but this can be variable. However, if the birds are chestnut or rufous morph, then it's pretty safe to say they are female. It is difficult to tell what sex juveniles are. I hope this helps!
Hi David. I also love watching everything nesting and raising young. You are lucky to be able to watch it from the comfort of your living room!
Hi Suzanne, I'm not sure why your frogmouth is calling so much. It could be that if its mate has died, it is trying to attract another, or it might be simply because it's spring and breeding season has stimulated it to call. In any case, let us know if there are more chicks this year. Best regards, Jaynia
Lovely pics, Ladymaggic, thankyou! We would love to be able to post these images on this page - contact me via my staff contact form (just click on my name to find it) if you would be willing to share them (you would retain full copyright and be fully acknowledged as the photographer, of course!).
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