Name:
Tawny Frogmouth

Genus:
Podargus strigoides

Description:
The Tawny Frogrnouth is probably the best-known Australian nocturnal bird.

By day, it can occasionally be seen in typical camouflage pose, sitting on an exposed branch close to the trunk.

His grey mottled and streaked plumage looks like old weathered wood. When it is disturbed or feels threatened it adopts a "broken branch" pose. It stretches out its body, raising its beak into the air and mimic a broken branch. The bristles above the beak looking like the jagged end of a branch.

Its yellow eyes look through narrow slits and its head turns to follow movement.

At night it hunts mostly ground dwelling creatures, large insects, frogs, spiders and small mammals. It sits watchfully on branches, fence posts or low perches from which it glides silently down to take prey on the ground.

The call of the Tawny Frogmouth is quite resonant in the dark and sounds like a low, pulsing "oom-oom-oom" which can be difficult to locate.

Its flimsy nest is built on a horizontal fork, constructed of sticks placed across the fork and lined with leaves. Nesting takes place from August to December and two to five eggs are laid.

The male incubates the eggs by day and the female at night. The eggs hatch after about 30 days and the chicks leave the nest after about four weeks.

Typical habitat for the 'Tawny' includes forests, rainforest margins, woodlands, parks and open eucalypt forests. It can be found all over the country where the habitat suits it.

There are two places in Centennial Parklands to look for them. They have nested in Lachlan Swamp and in the pines near the children's cycle track. If you should find a bird roosting during the day please take care not to disturb it.