Birds › Australian bush › Tawny Frogmouth

Tawny Frogmouth

Podargus strigoides

Not an owl, but a cousin of the nightjars. By day it sits still with its bill raised, looking just like a broken branch.

Where to see it for real: Keep old trees and do not use rat poison: frogmouths die after eating poisoned mice.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the Australian bush habitat (Eastern Australia, among gum trees).

Tawny Frogmouth facts

Family

Frogmouths

Length

18 in (45 cm)

Weight

14 oz (400 g)

Diet

Insects, spiders, worms, frogs and mice, snapped up at night.

Range

All of Australia and Tasmania, almost anywhere there are trees.

Nest

A flimsy platform of sticks in a tree fork.

Song

A deep, soft "oom-oom-oom" repeated at night.

Active

at dusk and at night

Status

Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the Tawny Frogmouth sounds like

More: bird songs and calls, birds at night.

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