General Information

The Papuan Frogmouth is a species of bird in the Podargidae family.

Physical Description

Frogmouths have large eyes that allow them to have strong night vision. They have wide gaping bills for feeding on insects and much weaker feet than that of an owl, which the Frogmouth is distantly related to. A Papuan male is greyish and the female is more of a reddish color. It has a large, dark body, red eyes, a bulbous bill, and a length of 50-60 cm including its long tail.

Diet

Frogmouths move from perch to perch, pouncing on prey, which they detect by movement. Papuan frogmouths feed on lizards, frogs, rodents and small birds. Feeding normally occurs at night usually near the edge of dense monsoon or rainforest.

Habitat

The Papuan Frogmouth is commonly found in northeast Australia from Townsville to Cooktown. They roost singly or in small groups in either dense or sparse trees at various heights. Also, they will perch with the head skyward, well camouflaged and using stillness to resemble a branch or stump of the tree.

Reproduction

The Papuan will normally breed between October and January. They create a small flat structure of twigs usually in an upright fork of a tree. The birds prefer the tree to be at least 10m from the ground to avoid predators. The female will then lay one or two white eggs and incubate until birth.