Skip to main content

Tawny frogmouth

Podargus strigoides


The tawny frogmouth is native to Australia and Tasmania. Due to the secretive nocturnal habits of the Tawny frogmouth, little is known of them.

While perched on trees throughout the day they blend in very well with the branches due to the colour of their feathers. The tawny frogmouth gets its unusual name from its rather large beak that when open looks like the mouth of a frog. It can catch and successfully swallow a lot of its small prey whole.

The tawny frogmouth can be up to 53 centimetres from head to tail.

IUCN red list status

""

The IUCN status of the tawny frogmouth is least concern.

For more information on classifications visit www.iucnredlist.org (link opens in new window).

Animal class

Bird

Conservation status

The IUCN does not think that the tawny frogmouth is facing extinction.

Habitat

Forest

Population

The exact number of tawny frogmouths in the wild is unknown. We do, however, know that their population is declining and has been for the past 10 years.

Diet

Carnivore. These birds eat insects, worms, slugs, snails and occasionally mice and small reptiles.