Faces at the window
Life in the air
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“Apart from the danger of road strikes for this low flying silent bird, poisons being laid to kill mice and a range of other small mammals are a significant threat to our beautiful family”.
CONTEXT: General description
The Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) exhibits a plumage that is predominantly silver-grey, with the underparts appearing slightly paler. The feathers are extensively streaked and mottled with black and rufous tones, providing excellent camouflage against tree bark. In addition to this typical colouration, a rufous or russet-red phase is also observed in some individuals. Both plumage types feature striking yellow eyes and a broad, robust froglike bill that ranges in colour from olive-grey to blackish. There is notable geographical variation in size, with individuals from south-eastern regions generally being larger than those in the north. Tawny Frogmouths are nocturnal and spend daylight hours perched on tree branches, frequently at low heights, where their cryptic coloration allows them to blend seamlessly into their surroundings.
The Owl like Frogmouth is not an Owl, but a relation of Kookaburras and Swifts. The Tawny Frogmouth is widely distributed on the Australian mainland and is one of three Frogmouth species present on the continent.
Frogmouth nests are a messy affair, a bundle of sticks perched precariously on a branch. Strangely, even in quite fierce winds, the nest manages to hold on to its branch and its precious cargo of one, or two, young chicks. Tawny Frogmouths are masters of camouflage and are hard to spot, crouched, still and contorted in tree and leaf.
Frogmouths are not aerial feeders, instead they gather spiders, crickets, beetles and frogs, lizards and mice from the ground. In the very week that I write this story, there were three pest control vehicles in our street, a street is only a few hundred metres long. Apart from the danger of road strikes for this low flying silent bird, poisons being laid to kill mice and a range of other small mammals are a significant threat to our beautiful family. It would be far better if the individuals doing the poisoning did a rethink about their conduct and stop the stupidity of indiscriminate poisoning, which will have deadly consequences for other species.
But so far so good, our little family appears to be flourishing and they have now lived with us for many years and many generations of these fantastic birds.
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