Tawny Frogmouth

Ravenshoe, February 2023.

These birds are often confused with owls. They are found in any area with trees. They are well camouflaged and when spotted freeze with their bill turned upwards.

They are nocturnal and rest on a branch during the day. They feed mainly just after dusk or before dawn. They hunt by dropping down on their prey from a perch. They eat many things including:

  • grasshoppers

  • spiders

  • other insects

  • mammals

  • birds

  • frogs

They are a common sedentary bird found over the whole of Australia. They breed between August and December laying 2-3 eggs. The nest is made of loose sticks in a tree fork 3 to 25 metres off the ground.

David Taylor