Tawny Frogmouth study - 2

These birds are incredibly difficult to find.

They are nocturnal birds and roost all day relying on their cryptic plumage and motionless posture for defence from predators. Here a pair roost inconspicuously, the female who is slightly smaller and has a touch of red/brown in her feathers, sits nearer to the main stem of the tree.

Tawny Frogmouth study

It is Spring in Canberra and the birds are nesting. For the past few years I have been studying tawny frogmouths; plotting their distribution and following their breeding success.

This pair have begun a nest high on a branch about fifty metres away. Once an egg is laid the male will incubate it and keep it covered all day, while the female roosts on this or another nearby perch.