Tawny Frogmouth

My first day as a volunteer at Indigiscapes, a local government environmental community centre, started out quietly enough; few plants to water and the usual paperwork. However, what started as a fine sunny quiet October day became a very windy day, unusual for this time of year. Consequently it was no surprise to get a call about a young Frogmouth found huddled at the base of a tree.

These birds are in the middle of their breeding season, which is primarily August to December. The resident had attempted to find the nest, which is nothing more than a flimsy platform of sticks in the fork of a tree, but unfortunately to no avail. Kind enough to take care of this defenceless baby, they made the extra effort to bring the young bird to the centre. Correctly stored in a large cardboard box with small mat to soften the floor, a quick look confirmed it to be a Tawny Frogmouth, Podargus strigoides, one of our more common night birds.

As a young bird it looks nothing more than a ball of fluff with a froggy looking beak, but fully grown they are about 34cm (Female) to 48cm (Male) in height, having a distinctive broad grey bill, edged with grey plumes, yellow eyes, grey to reddish brown plumage above and grey patches streaked with black below. An impressive bird, but quite harmless if handled.

Their camouflage pattern and colours results in their distinctive habit of trying to look like a branch, and it works well, and generally it will be their call, a repetitive low resonant 'oo-oooom' that first lets you know they are around.