Podargus strigoides

Tawny Frogmouth at Fadden, ACT

Podargus strigoides at Fadden, ACT - 1 Dec 2018 07:35 PM
Podargus strigoides at Fadden, ACT - 1 Dec 2018 07:35 PM
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Identification history

Podargus strigoides 24 Dec 2018 natureguy
Podargus strigoides 23 Dec 2018 YumiCallaway

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User's notes

Walking back from nature reserve after dark and saw it fly over us and perch on a dead branch. Took a blind photo before it flew off.

4 comments

julielindner wrote:
   25 Dec 2018
What about a Boobook owl can you explain the difference?
YumiCallaway wrote:
   25 Dec 2018
It's a Tawny Frogmouth. Southern Boobooks are brown (Frogmouths are grey), Frogmouths have very light colouring on the front, wing pattern is different (a good example of wing pattern of a Boobook and Frogmouth respectively would be these: Nocturnal Bird Ninox boobook (Southern Boobook) on 3 Apr 2018 & Nocturnal Bird Podargus strigoides (Tawny Frogmouth) on 15 Dec 2018) and Frogmouths have a distinct posture and shape (eg. head, perching posture at night). After you see a lot of them, you'll be able to recognise Frogmouths without having to compare them to other species - they're quite unique. :)
julielindner wrote:
   28 Dec 2018
Sorry i should have been more specific. I have both Boobooks and Frog mouths in the park near me and even though Boobooks are brown in the night light they look grey and have a similar stance..
YumiCallaway wrote:
   28 Dec 2018
Frogmouths have a distinct patterning of white on their feathers with the most noticeable one on the edge of the primary flight feathers. I have added another photo which I edited to have more light so it's easier to see the pattern and colour. I also had another observer with me who agrees this was a Frogmouth. This is most definitely a Tawny Frogmouth.

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Location information

Sighting information

Species information

  • Podargus strigoides Scientific name
  • Tawny Frogmouth Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Local native
  • Non-invasive or negligible
  • Up to 1264.77m Recorded at altitude
  • 709 images trained Machine learning
1,912,830 sightings of 21,531 species from 13,367 contributors
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