(Podargus strigoides)

There are 12 species of frogmouths (Podargidae), which are found in Australia, Malaya and the Philippines. They are distinguished from other families in this order by their large hooked beaks, which they use to eat a variety of invertebrate animals from the ground. They are slow in movement and poor fliers and are generally nocturnal. When roosting in daytime along a branch, their heads raised but motionless, they blend in very well with their surroundings.

The 20-inch Tawny Frogmouth, Podargus strigoides, of Australia and Tasmania, drops on its prey from a perch, much like an owl. Its plumage is gray and marbled. It has a booming call, repeated a number of times. The stick nest is built on a horizontal branch at some height; the female incubates the 2 or 3 round white eggs at night, the male by day. The young remain in the nest until they are fledged.

Class: Aves | Order: Caprimulgiformes | Family: Podargidae | Genus: Podargus | Species: P. strigoides

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