Size: Height; 35-50cm. Weight; 200-600g.

Habitat and Distribution: Australia, Tasmania and southern New Guinea, occupying most habitats but especially open eucalyptus forest.

Age: Up to14 years.

Groups and Breeding: Tawny Frogmouths are very faithful and pairs will stay together until one dies. They breed from August to December and usually use the same nest each year. Unfortunately, they are not very good at building nests so every year must make repairs to their loose, untidy platforms of sticks! After mating, the female will lay two or three eggs onto a lining of green leaves in the nest. Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs to incubate them until they hatch about 30 days later. Afterwards, both parents also help feed the chicks until they fledge at around 25 days old.

Diet: The Tawny Frogmouth feeds on rats, mice, nocturnal insects, worms, slugs, frogs and other small prey.

• Although thought to be related to owls, this species is actually more closely related to nightjars.
• The Tawny Frogmouth is sedentary, occupying the same territory sometimes for years.
• This species has much weaker feet and talons than an owl and instead will use their beak for catching their prey.
• To avoid predation, this species has highly cryptic (camouflaged) colouring and will stay still pretending to be a piece of dead tree when threatened.
• Chicks in the nest are very clean and will edge along the branch their nest is on in order to do their droppings over the edge of the branch!
• During the winter, Frogmouths will pick roosts that are facing the sun so that they can sunbathe.