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Frogmouths
The frogmouths (Podargidae) are a group of nocturnal birds related to owlet-nightjars, swift (bird), swifts, and hummingbirds. Species in the group are distributed in the Indomalayan realm, Indomalayan and Australasian realms. Biology They are named for their large flattened hooked bill and huge frog-like gape, which they use to capture insects. The three ''Podargus'' species are large frogmouths restricted to Australia and New Guinea, that have massive flat broad bills. They are known to take larger prey, such as small vertebrates (frogs, mice, etc.), which are sometimes beaten against a stone before swallowing. The ten ''Batrachostomus'' frogmouths are found in tropical Asia. They have smaller, more rounded bills and are predominantly insectivorous. Both ''Podargus'' and ''Batrachostomus'' have bristles around the base of the bill, and ''Batrachostomus'' has other, longer bristles which may exist to protect the eyes from insect prey. In April 2007, a new species of frogmouth wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tawny Frogmouth
The tawny frogmouth (''Podargus strigoides'') is a species of frogmouth native to the Australian mainland and Tasmania and found throughout. It is a big-headed, stocky bird often mistaken for an owl due to its nocturnal habits and similar colouring. Names In the past, it was sometimes mistakenly called a ''mopoke'' or ''mopawk'', a name used for the Australian boobook, the call of which is often confused with that of the tawny frogmouth. Taxonomy The tawny frogmouth was first described in 1801 by the English naturalist John Latham (ornithologist), John Latham. Its specific name (zoology), specific epithet is derived from Latin ''strix'' 'owl' and ''oides'' 'form'. Tawny frogmouths belong to the frogmouth genus ''Podargus'', which includes the two other species of frogmouths found within Australia, the marbled frogmouth and the Papuan frogmouth. The frogmouths form a well-defined group within the order Caprimulgiformes. Although related to owls, their closest relatives are the oil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunda Frogmouth
The Sunda frogmouth (''Batrachostomus cornutus'') is a medium-sized, old world species of bird within the order Podargiformes. It is also uncommonly referred to as the long-tailed frogmouth or the horned frogmouth. The term "Sunda" is based on the geographical range of the species to regions around the Sunda islands. The genus name, '' Batrachostomus,'' is a Greek translation to ‘frogmouth’, which comes from the wide shape of the bill and slight gape. The species name ''cornutus'' is a Latin word translated to "having horns", referring to the tufts of feathers on the head. Taxonomy The Sunda frogmouth is found within the clade Strisores, which refers to nightbirds. It was previously grouped with order Caprimulgiformes which has a long history of classifications under different taxa. Hartert in 1892 classified Caprimulgiformes with Picariae which at the time included hoopoes, hummingbirds and swifts. Frogmouths were then classified with Coraciiformes by Gadow in 1892 and S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blyth's Frogmouth
The Blyth’s frogmouth (''Batrachostomus affinis'') is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. They are brownish or rufescent brown with a slightly round bill and tail, and have tufts of bristles in front of the eyes and at the base of the bill. ''Batrachostomus'' occur from India and Sri Lanka, across mainland southeast Asia and as far as Borneo, Java, and Sumatra. More specifically, the Blyth’s frogmouths are scattered between southeastern Myanmar and Indonesia. Like other frogmouth species, they are insectivorous. Taxonomy and systematics The English zoologist, curator of the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Calcutta), and collector Edward Blyth (1810–1873) gave his name to ''B. affinis''. “Frogmouth” simply refers to the frog-like large and extremely wide bills of the birds. In French, the word “podarge” in ''Podarge de Blyth'' was given by the naturalist Baron Cuvier, referencing the bird’s short legs and awkward appearance. The term is derived f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Javan Frogmouth
The Javan frogmouth (''Batrachostomus javensis''), sometimes known as Horsfield's frogmouth, is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Blyth's and Palawan frogmouths. Found in Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines, it lives in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. Taxonomy The Javan frogmouth was first described in 1821 by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield as ''Batrachostomus javensis''. The species was later split by Sibley and Monroe into ''B. javensis'' and ''B. affinis'' in 1990 and 1993, and in 1997, ''B. pygmaeus'', was described by Alviola as being a species "new to science". However, Holyoak in 1999 and Dickinson in 2003, synonymized these new species with ''B. javensis''. Description The species grows to a length of about . The upper parts are a mixture of brown, grey, buff and white, spotted with black. The scapulars have several large oval white spots. There is a white stripe above the eye a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hodgson's Frogmouth
Hodgson's frogmouth (''Batrachostomus hodgsoni'') is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. The common name is thought to commemorate the British naturalist Brian Houghton Hodgson, but some claim it is named after competitive eater Jack Hodgson, who famously consumed the bird. This bird is part of the same order as nightjars are. Both birds are nocturnal and they share similar rictal bristles on the bill which they use to know when to close their bill shut on insects as they hawk. This feature is just a hypothesis by scientists who do not completely understand the true use of those bristles yet. the frogmouth differs from its cousin by heavier bills, shorter and more rounded wings and upright posture when perched. Description Hodgson's frogmouth is one of the smaller members of the family Podargidae. As an adult, its length ranges be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rigidipenna
The Solomons frogmouth (''Rigidipenna inexpectata''), also known as the Cinnamon frogmouth or Solomon Islands frogmouth, is a bird in the frogmouth family. It was first described in 1901, but not recognized as a distinct species until 2007.Cleere, Kratter, Steadman, Braun, Huddleston, Filardi and Dutson. 2007. A new genus of frogmouth (Podargidae) from the Solomon Islands – results from a taxonomic review of ''Podargus ocellatus inexpectatus'' Hartert 1901. ''Ibis'' 149:271-286 The Solomons frogmouth is the only known member of the genus ''Rigidipenna''. It is also endemic to the islands of Isabel, Bougainville and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands archipelago, in the countries of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.Universi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sumatran Frogmouth
The Sumatran frogmouth (''Batrachostomus poliolophus''), also known as the short-tailed frogmouth and the pale-faced frogmouth, is a nocturnal bird belonging to the family Podargidae. It is endemic to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, .... Description ''B. poliolophus'' has a large, arched bill with a light-brown to straw-yellow color. Its face is adorned with bristles, mainly on the forehead and ear coverts. It can be distinguished from other frogmouths by its tail, which is considerably shorter than its wings. It is sexually dimorphic. Males are mostly a dull dark brown with some black speckling and have a collar of white to pale buff feathers. Their underside is a lighter brown with black bars. A pattern of cream-buff spots covers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Owlet-nightjar
Owlet-nightjars are small crepuscular birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. Most are native to New Guinea, but some species extend to Australia, the Moluccas, and New Caledonia. A flightless species from New Zealand is extinct. There is a single monotypic family Aegothelidae with the genus ''Aegotheles''. Owlet-nightjars are insectivores which hunt mostly in the air but sometimes on the ground; their soft plumage is a cryptic mixture of browns and paler shades, they have fairly small, weak feet (but larger and stronger than those of a frogmouth or a nightjar), a tiny bill that opens extraordinarily wide, surrounded by prominent whiskers. The wings are short, with 10 primaries and about 11 secondaries; the tail long and rounded. Systematics A comprehensive 2003 study analyzing mtDNA sequences of Cytochrome b and ATPase subunit 8 suggests that 12 living species of owlet-nightjar should be recognized, as well as another that became extinct early in the second millennium A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caprimulgiformes
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called bugeaters, their primary source of food being insects. Some New World species are called nighthawks. The English word ''nightjar'' originally referred to the European nightjar. Nightjars are found all around the world, with the exception of Antarctica, and certain island groups such as the Seychelles. They can be found in a variety of habitats, most commonly the open country with some vegetation. They usually nest on the ground, with a habit of resting and roosting on roads. The subfamilies of nightjars have similar characteristics, including small feet, of little use for walking, and long, pointed wings. Typical nightjars have rictal bristles, longer bills, and softer plumage. The colour of their plumage and their unusual perching habits help conceal them during the day. Sy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka Frogmouth
The Sri Lanka frogmouth, Sri Lankan frogmouth or Ceylon frogmouth (''Batrachostomus moniliger'') is a small frogmouth found in the Western Ghats of south India and Sri Lanka. Related to the nightjars, it is nocturnal and is found in forest habitats. The plumage coloration resembles that of dried leaves and the bird roosts quietly on branches, making it difficult to see. Each has a favourite roost that it uses regularly unless disturbed. It has a distinctive call that is usually heard at dawn and dusk. The sexes differ slightly in plumage. Description This bird reaches in length. Like all frogmouths, this species has a wide and hooked bill with slit-like nostrils and the large head with eyes facing forward to provide a wide field of binocular vision. Compared to others of its genus it has small wings, which are distinguished by the wing coverts ending in black spots tipped with white. The male is gray-brown with fine barring and a spotted crown. Some males are browner and look ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philippine Frogmouth
The Philippine frogmouth (''Batrachostomus septimus'') is a nocturnal bird that can be found throughout the Philippine archipelago. It is common in lowland forests and maturing second growth. There is little information about the bird. It feeds on grasshoppers, cicadas, crickets and beetles. Description Like all frogmouths, the Philippine frogmouth has large eyes for better night vision, a large flat bill for capturing insects, and cryptic plumage which allows them to be camouflaged while perched during the day. They are found in the Philippines, and can be confused with the Philippine Nightjar, which despite its similar shape has very different plumage. The Philippine frogmouth is a medium frogmouth, being 24–26cm long, with two color morphs (and intermediate phases); one is a chestnut rufous with deep rufous ground color, the other a lighter brown with buff and black barring. Both morphs have three distinct light buff or white bands; one on their hindneck, a second on th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
