| Scientific Name: |
Podargus strigoides |
| Range: |
Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea |
| Habitat: |
Tropical forest and woodland |
| Natural Diet: |
Insects, amphibians, and rodents |
| Zoo Diet: |
Mice and bird of prey diet |
Physical
Characteristics: |
Tawny frogmouths are covered in grey feathers with
black streaks. Females have brown feathers mixed in with the grey. Their
wide, flat beak has a hook at the tip. Tawny frogmouths have short, weak
legs and a long, pointed tail. |
| Behavior: |
These birds are active at night. Tawny frogmouths hunt
by searching the ground for food. During the day, you can see them
sleeping on tree branches near the tree trunk. When in trees, tawny
frogmouths hide from predators by raising their beaks up in the air and
keeping their bodies completely still. This makes them look just like a
broken tree branch instead of like a bird. |
| Reproduction: |
Young tawny frogmouths are born in flimsy stick nests
where they are raised by both mother and father. |
| Notes: |
At the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, you can see a tawny
frogmouth in the Australia Welcome Center. |
