Tawny Frogmouth

Description:

The Tawny Frogmouth has a silver-grey general plumage that is streaked and mottled in black and rufous. Growing to between 33 and 55 cm, both males and females look similar. Distinctive features include yellow eyes, a heavy bill and a feathery fringe above the bill.

Habitat:

Commonly found throughout Australia (including Tasmania), the Tawny Frogmouth inhabits most habitat types excluding dense forest and treeless desert.

Notes:

Commonly mistaken for owls, the non-raptorial Tawny Frogmouth is more closely related to nightjars. An insectivore, the Tawny Frogmouth is a sit-and-wait predator, catching it's prey with it's beak rather than feet. Calls are a soft, deep, continuous "oom-oom" changing to a "grrr-grrr" sound when threatened.