Introducing The Frogmouth—One Of Nature's Most Puzzling And Alluring Birds

May 14, 2020 by apost team

There are a lot of elusive and bizarre animals calling this planet home. One such bird is called the frogmouth. With looks that partly resemble both a frog and an owl, you’re sure to find this odd bird fascinating.

The frogmouth’s gaping, flattened, and brightly colored mouth is remarkable to behold. Their mouth is oddly more frog-like than bird-like. Other than when it opens it’s wide and rounded beak to show its brightly colored mouth, you’re very likely to completely overlook a frogmouth in nature. In fact, going unseen is one of the frogmouth’s greatest survival traits because of its weak legs and inability to fly very well.

Their cryptic coloration offers the perfect camouflage to blend in with tree bark, and their outward looks are very similar to an owl. It’s not until you notice the frogmouth’s small and talon-less feet that the difference between it and an owl becomes very apparent.

apost.com

You’ll mainly find frogmouths deep in the forests of Australia, India, and Asia, but they occasionally venture into urban areas. They’re most closely related to the nightjars, and PBS’s Wildlife Junior Journal has denoted 15 different species of frogmouth in the Podargidae family. Like it’s owl lookalike, frogmouths are nocturnal birds that are most active at night. During the day, they hide amongst tree branches to lounge and sleep.

This video by one of Australia’s leading wildlife experts, Tim Faulkner, does a fantastic job introducing you to the tawny frogmouth. Tim explains how this bird prefers living in family units. While insects make up the bulk of their diet, they’ll eat frogs, lizards, and small mice whole, too.

As young hatchlings, the frogmouths resemble flower puffs with white spikes headed in all directions. It’s a look that resembles the eucalypt flower. Their coloration changes to blend in with their surroundings as they age and leave the safety of their parents.

Gisela Kaplan has been studying Australia’s tawny frogmouths for over 25 years. In Australian Geographic, she explains how difficult it is to spot a frogmouth in the wild. Resting frogmouths often stretch their necks upward to slim themselves and take the appearance of a dead tree branch. The elusive bird can also maintain a very steady gaze and has the remarkable ability to stay completely still for a lengthy amount of time.

According to Kaplan, a group of magpies encountered a tawny frogmouth and had no idea what to make of it. They curiously inspected the bird for a few minutes and seemed to be confused by it before dismissing it and flying away. A similar situation happened at a veterinary hospital when both humans and other animals didn’t even notice a frogmouth being there because it was being so still. A Great Dane once approached a tawny frogmouth; Kaplan says the dog was in the process of sniffing it when the bird opened its eyes and startled the dog to jump away.

Family plays a big role in the life of tawny frogmouths. They mostly mate in spring. The male and female are equals in the family structure. They take turns watching over their nests to ensure a 24-7 guard. Kaplan has noted that the female will often take the night watch, and the male will often take the day watch. Offspring are never left alone, even after they’ve fledged. Both males and females provide food for their young chicks.

There’s a surplus of predators in the semi-tropical and tropical environments that the tawny frogmouth prefers. Deforestation and natural disasters like wildfires have forced the frogmouth closer to urban areas, too. Yet, this is a very sleuth bird. Between camouflage tactics and lifestyle, this is an amazing bird with a determination to survive... and to do so unnoticed by others.

What do you think about the frogmouth? Have you ever encountered one? Leave your thoughts and questions in the comment section, and please don’t forget to pass this unusual and remarkable bird along to family and friends.