Tawny frogmouth
| Tawny frogmouth | |
|---|---|
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| At Bonorong Wildlife Park, Tasmania, Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Podargiformes |
| Family: | Podargidae |
| Genus: | Podargus |
| Species: | P. strigoides |
| Binomial name | |
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Podargus strigoides (Latham, 1801) |
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The tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is a species of frogmouth native to Australia that is found throughout the Australian mainland and Tasmania. Tawny frogmouths are big-headed stocky birds often mistaken for owls due to their nocturnal habits and similar colouring. The tawny frogmouth is sometimes incorrectly referred to as "mopoke", a common name for the southern boobook whose call is often confused for the tawny frogmouth's.
The tawny frogmouth was first described in 1801 by English naturalist John Latham. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin strix meaning "owl" and oides meaning "form". Tawny frogmouths belong to the frogmouth genus Podargus which includes the two other species of frogmouths found within Australia, the marbled frogmouth and the Papuan frogmouth. The frogmouths form a well-defined group within the order Caprimulgiformes. Although related to owls, their closest relatives are the oilbirds, potoos, owlet-nightjars, and true nightjars. The earliest fossil evidence of frogmouths are from the Eocene and imply that they diverged from their closest relatives during the early Tertiary. Three subspecies of the tawny frogmouth are currently recognised:
Tawny frogmouths are large, big-headed birds that can measure from 34 to 53 cm (13 to 21 in) long. Weights have been recorded of up to 680 g (1.50 lb) in the wild (and perhaps even more in captivity) but these are exceptionally high. In the nominate race, 55 males were found to weigh a mean of 354 g (12.5 oz) while 39 females weighed a mean of 297 g (10.5 oz), with a range between both of 157 to 555 g (5.5 to 19.6 oz). Among the subspecies P. s. brachypterus, 20 unsexed birds were found to average 278 g (9.8 oz) with a range of 185 to 416 g (6.5 to 14.7 oz). In P. s. phalaenoides, a weight range of 205 to 364 g (7.2 to 12.8 oz) was reported. Thus, in terms of average if not maximal body mass, the tawny is a bit smaller than its cousin, the Papuan frogmouth. Tawny frogmouths are stocky and compact with rounded wings and short legs. They have wide, heavy olive-grey to blackish bills that are hooked at the tip and topped with distinctive tufts of bristles. Their eyes are large, yellow, and frontally placed, a trait shared by owls.
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