Tawny Frogmouth

Podargus strigoides

Family: Podargidae (Australian Frogmouths, 3 species in Australia)
Size: M 48cm, F 34 cm
Distribution: All of Australia
Status: Common
Habitat: Woodlands
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest

The Tawny Frogmouth is around a lot but not that often seen. It is noctural and sleeps in the day, with its body extended to look like a log. Its position, stillness and colouring combine to make it very hard to see.

They have a strange call, which is kind of creepy, that goes "oo oo oo oo oo oo...".

They are not owls although many people think that they are, because they fly at night and they eat small animals (like an owl), and they kind of look like and owl.

You can download Tawny Frogmouth Desktop Wallpaper of the second photo below. Click on the link in this paragraph and then right-click on the image and select "Set As Desktop Background...".

Alternatively, you can right click on the link above and then select "Save Image As", or "Save As", or "Save Link As..." (depending on what web browsing software you are using). Once you have saved the photo to your computer, click "Set As Desktop Background".

Tawny Frogmouth - Podargus strigoides
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (2191 x 1867)

Tawny Frogmouth - Podargus strigoides
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (2802 x 1899)

Tawny Frogmouth - Podargus strigoides
Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Original Scanned Image.

Some Birdwatching Resources

NEW: The Complete Guide to Australian Birds, by George Adams.

This is another of the newer ones (published in November 2018) that I bought recently (June 2020). It's got photographs rather than drawn pictures of the birds. They're really good quality photos. 10 or more years ago, the Australian bird field guides with photographs definitely weren't in the same class as the ones with hand-drawn pictures, but that seems to have changed. Now I think it's more a matter of personal preference. I imagine that the massive increases in availability of long-zoom-distance digital photographic equipment has made it much easier for there to be better quality photos of birds.

This book has colured strips down the outside of each page so you can find the different types of birds easily, which I really like.

Purchase from Australia (The Nile)

Purchase from Australia (Fishpond)

Purchase from Amazon.com (USA Site)

Purchase from Amazon.com.au (Australian Site)

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