No night-owl

 

I photographed this little fellow in broad daylight when he spent the whole of Monday perched on the end of the dragonfruit trellis.  Temperatures have been in the high 30s this week (yesterday 38C / 100F) which probably explains why his feathers are so ruffled.

He's a Tawny Frogmouth and obviously too young to know that he's nocturnal and not supposed to be sitting around in the open during daylight hours.  These birds are common in the forests along the eastern coast, but quite elusive; on our previous farm we sometimes saw them at dusk when they turned up to hunt for mice and insects.  They have a pleasant soft, deep call.

Something I've just learnt is that the Frogmouth ( Podargus strigoides) is not a species of owl, as most people think.  It is a separate family of 12 species found throughout Australia, Malaysia and the Philippines.  They are dappled grey and brown for camouflage and roost with their necks stretched upward and forward to resemble a branch.

Here is a Wildlife Carer's Story about an injured Frogmouth she tended for a period.  (And note that even she calls it an owl.  Tut-tut.)

Comments

[Tjilpi]

I hate the internet. I hate blogging.

I had a listen to the MP3 file of the Frogmouth's oomm-oomm-oomm call.

I've always thought the Tawny Frogmouth was the Mo Poke!

Grrr...

Now I'm going to have to do some more research to set myself right.

[Sonia]

Thanks for introduce this lovely Tawny Frogmouth. The links are great, too.

[Jude]

My computer doesn't allow me to hear that MP3 recording of the bird call. Pity, as I want to compare it with the various calls that we hear, and identify the Frogmouth's call for certain.

[hazelblackberry]

I hope his mum & dad sort him out on his sleeping habits soon.

[carel]

Very cool pictures! I'd love to come upon one of those. I've never seen a young frogmouth. He's just left the nest here, and probably can't fly terribly well--still dependent on his parents. Frogmouths are fairly closely related to owls--much more closely to the nightjars and nighthawks found throughout the rest of the world. They're unusual among that group in their large size and the fact they build nests. Thanks very much!

[John]

I have only seen a frogmouth in the bird house at the local zoo. They are kind of odd-looking, but beautiful in their own way, much like owls.