VILLAGE JOURNAL Tawny Frogmouth
Podargus strigoides
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This week I was lucky enough to talk to the children in 4,5 &6 at Rosebank Primary about the difference between the two types of frogmouth we have in the area. I asked the children to see if they could hear the difference and report whether there may indeed be an endangered Marbled Frogmouth living in their yard.
The Tawny Frogmouth is a nocturnal Australian native and is more likely to be heard than seen. They make an oomm oomm oomm sound which is deep and repetitive. The tawny frogmouth measure between 40 – 50 cm from head to tail and is a similar size to the kookaburra. Tawny frogmouths are often called owls, however they are very different. Tawny Frogmouths catch food with their beak unlike an owl which uses its powerful talons to catch its prey. They also use different methods for hunting. A tawny frogmouth sits on a low branch and pounces on crickets, moths, snails, lizards and the like while raptors such as the Barn owl use their incredible hearing to detect a mouses heartbeat up to 100m away.
Tawny frogmouths generally live in pairs and occasionally you will see them in a family group just before the young disperse to their own territory. Many people observe the same pair living in their yard for many many years. This largely relies on the available food source and existence of a great tree for them to roost in during the day. You may have notice that when you leave the outside light on the tawnies hunt for the moths and insects that are attracted by the light.
The tawny frogmouth has yellow eyes which distinguishes them from the Marbled frogmouth. The Marbled frogmouth is only found is some very isolated locations where as the Tawny frogmouth has become a well know back yard visitor.
Many Tawny frogmouths are injured each year due to motor vehicle accidents. They often fly down in front of cars to catch the insects highlighted in the lights of the car. Other causes of injury to these birds is from poisonous pesticides used to kill insects in the back yard. Once the insects have ingested the poison the tawny may then eat that insect and become poisoned also. This is the same for rat baits, where a poisoned mouse is eaten by a tawny frogmouth, the tawny will die of secondary poisoning.
Tawny chicks are born each year between September and January. The parents build a flimsy nest made out of sticks usually very high up in a gum tree on a thick branch. Often 3 eggs will hatch and one or two of the chicks will survive. The chicks become very push and the stronger ones will unintentionally shuffle across until someone falls off the branch. Many tawny fledgling chicks who are just learning to fly are found on the ground. There is often nothing wrong with them and they need to be placed back up in a tree so that the parents can find them at night when they are active.
The Marbled frogmouth conservation status in NSW is vulnerable. This nocturnal cousin to the Tawny Frogmouth is listed under NSW Threatened Species Legislation. It is so similar to the tawny that distinguishing them is extremely difficult for the untrained eye. Firstly their call is different as the marbled frogmouth makes a cooloo cooloo cooloo cooloo sound with a clap from the beak at the end. This differs from the oomm oomm oomm of the tawny frogmouth. Secondly the eyes are a different colour. The eyes of the marbled frogmouth are orange compared to the yellow of the tawny. Sometimes a tawny with an injured eyed may be mistaken for a marbled so be aware of this. The Marbled frogmouth has only been found in the rainforest of far north Queensland and on the Queensland-New South Wales border. It is not found anywhere else in Australian however there are some in Papua New Guinea.
The Marbled frogmouth is slightly smaller than its cousin and the white dots on the tail of the Marbled Frogmouth can be slightly darker and more distinguishable than that of the tawny. The Marbled frogmouth generally gets its name because the colouring on the wings is more marbled or smeared than the tawny which is a more distinctive brown or grey lines and dots. It became very clear to me when a Marbled frogmouth chick came into care because there were 10 other tawnies and this one marbled was just so much darker than all the others that it was impossible to come to any other conclusion.
So next time you are having a listen at night to the local wildlife take note of what type of frogmouth you might have in your area.