Tawny Frogmouth

Podargus strigoides

Family

Podargidae

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Distribution

Australia and Tasmania

Habitat

Forests, scrublands, woodlands, grasslands

Factoid

The tawny frogmouth is named for its wide, frog-like beak. This nocturnal and carnivorous bird is often mistaken for an owl.

Masters of camouflage, tawny frogmouths sleep on low tree branches during the day. When disturbed, they stiffen their body and stretch their neck, simulating a broken tree branch – a behavior called “stumping.”

If provoked, they react with a hissing noise, a startling snap of their yellow-lined beak, and a defensive pose that makes them appear larger.

Tawny frogmouths are threatened by vehicle collisions, habitat loss and degradation, agricultural toxins, and predation by feral cats, dogs, and foxes.