Tawny Frogmouth

The Tawny Frogmouth, Podargus strigoides, is a well-known and loved, fluffy-looking Australian native. In a recent online poll organised by Guardian/Birdlife Australia, the Tawny Frogmouth was declared the winner of Australian Bird of the Year 2025, beating Baudin’s Black Cockatoo by some 4,000 votes.

There are 3 species of Frogmouths in Australia, Tawny, Papuan and Marbled. The Tawny is widespread and found throughout Australia’s mainland and Tasmania.

They are nocturnal, but not an owl. They are more closely related to Nightjars and in the same Taxonomic Order, Caprimulgiformes, although some modern classifications have re-grouped them to their own distinct Frogmouth Order, Podargiformes.

Frogmouths and Nightjars share a lot of similarities, they are nocturnal hunters, have a wide mouth for catching bugs in flight, and have excellent camouflage. Some differences are that Frogmouths are larger, more owl-sized, and have a larger frog-like mouth.

The Owls, Strigiformes, are raptors and have much stronger curved talons for catching prey like rodents and insects, and have a smaller, sharper downward-facing beak for tearing prey.

The Tawny Frogmouth’s camouflage is remarkable as they mimic the structure of a broken branch. They are mottled grey and brown and perch motionless with their head pointed up and their eyes almost fully closed. They can be very difficult to spot, even at close range.

Their nesting habits are sometimes considered lazy, as they stack a loose platform of twigs and leaves on a horizontal forked branch, where eggs and chicks sometimes fall out. Their inability to construct a stable nest may be due to their bill shape and small talons. Couples pair for life and often roost closely together, and both parents share incubation and feeding duties of 1 to 3 fledglings.

Tawny Frogmouths have adapted to urban life and can be found in and around built-up areas.