Blyth's Frogmouth
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The Blyth’s frogmouth (''Batrachostomus affinis'') is a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of bird in the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
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 India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, across mainland
southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
and as far as
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
,
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
, and
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
. More specifically, the Blyth’s frogmouths are scattered between southeastern
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
and
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, ...
. Like other frogmouth species, they are
insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant which eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores we ...
.


Taxonomy and systematics

The English zoologist, curator of the Museum of the
Asiatic Society of Bengal The Asiatic Society is an organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of " Oriental research" (in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions). It was founded by the philologist Will ...
(Calcutta), and collector
Edward Blyth Edward Blyth (23 December 1810 – 27 December 1873) was an English zoologist who worked for most of his life in India as a curator of zoology at the Asiatic Society, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta. He set about updating the museum ...
(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 from the
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
word “podargos”, which means “gouty man”. The Blyth’s frogmouth is one of 17 species of frogmouths in the family Podargidae, which includes the three
genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...
'' Podargus'', '' Rigidipenna'', and '' Batrachostomus''. Blyth’s frogmouth is in the genus ''Batrachostomus'', and is mostly found in
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
, while the larger ''Podargus'' species are in
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and the single ''Rigidipenna'' species is found in
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
and the
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
. DNA-DNA hybridization data from 1988 suggested that species in '' Batrachostomus'' are distantly related to the '' Podargus'' ones and should therefore be placed in a new separate family, the Batrachostomidae. However, further research is still needed and the new
taxonomic classification In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are given ...
still does not appear to have been accepted. Confusion and contradicting information also exists about the
order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...
of the Blyth’s frogmouth. All frogmouths were previously in the order
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 ...
, but a 2019 study determined that ''Podargus'' and ''Batrachostomus'' diverged from one another between 30 and 50 million years ago, and were consequently forming their own
clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...
separate from
nightjar 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 ...
s. They are also a
sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...
to the swifts,
hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...
s, and owlet-nightjars. Therefore, the order Podargiformes, first proposed in 1918 by Gregory Mathews, was reinstated and includes Blyth’s species. Initially, Blyth’s frogmouth (''B. affinis'') and the Javan frogmouth (''B. javensis'') were thought to be the same species as the
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 t ...
(''B. cornutus''), but it was later concluded from a mix of recordings of vocalizations from field studies and museum specimens that ''B. cornutus'' is a distinct species from ''B. javensis'' and not a
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
. All three were also sometimes considered as being the conspecifics of Hodgson’s frogmouth (''B. hodgsoni''), but size and structure differences of the bill, facial
bristle A bristle is a stiff hair or feather (natural or artificial), either on an animal, such as a pig, a plant, or on a tool such as a brush or broom. Synthetic types Synthetic materials such as nylon are also used to make bristles in items such as b ...
s, tail, bare-parts, and vocalizations were too great to approve this assumption. It was only recently that the Javan frogmouth (''B. javensis'') was split into three species: Javan (''B. javensis''), Blyth’s (''B. affinis''), and
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
(''B. chaseni''). Blyth’s frogmouth, the best known and the most geographically widespread of these three, is further subdivided into two subspecies known as ''B. affinis affinis'' and ''B. affinis continentalis''. Both subspecies are linked by an intermediate population in Khao I Phrom in central peninsular
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
.


Description

Blyth’s frogmouth is a small to medium species that measures between 20 and 23 centimeters in length. ''B. a. continentalis'' weighs ''a''bout 46.0 grams. The birds are brownish or rufescent brown and lack white markings on wings and tail, however, the female is usually browner and more plain than males. The underparts are generally orange-brown or yellowish-brown with some whitish spots. The feathers of the shoulder region have fewer white oval shaped spots. They have a very thin white line around their neck that looks like a small collar. Males tend to have heavier black markings on their upper and underparts, and they are said to have a cryptic
plumage Plumage () is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can b ...
. Like the other frogmouth species, Blyth’s has well developed stiff facial bristles and longer black or dark-coloured ones that cover the ears called “auricular plumes”. Their function is still unknown. Juveniles have a soft-textured plumage and differ from the adult males by their coloration that has more rufous tones, and their upperparts have more dark barring and no spot. Their underparts are similar to adult females, but are duller. They also have narrow black bars on many feathers of the throat and breast. Little information exists about molts, but observations of active wing molt in
Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...
have been made in July, September, and October. Others have observed individuals that had not replaced their feathers by January–March and in November. The molting sequence is still largely unknown even though the pattern is often asymmetrical. The Blyth’s frogmouth has a tail length of 95-111 millimeters for males and 90-107 millimeters for females. Like other '' Batrachostomus'' species, the Blyth’s frogmouth has a large tail compared to its body size, which helps for maneuverability. The trailing edges of the flight and tail feathers allow it to fly silently when hunting. ''Batrachostomus'' frogmouths have small jaws and short, wide, and rounded bills. The size of the bill seems adapted for taking prey in flight. Slit-looking nostrils can be found at its base and are protected by an operculum, which is a lid-like structure that can open and close to protect the nares. Frogmouths have short and weak feet with unequal toes (i.e., one toe backward and the other three forward). Side toes have the ability to splay out at a 90 degrees angle, which provides the birds with a better grip. The legs and feet are either brown, pink-brown, slightly pink, or more white. The Blyth’s frogmouth has pale yellow or lemon-yellow irises.


Similar species

Small frogmouths are all physically similar, which makes it hard to differentiate the Blyth’s frogmouth from other species. Its vocalizations and the geographical distribution can help identify it. * Gould’s frogmouth (''B. stellatus''): In some parts of
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, Blyth’s is the only frogmouth, but there might be some overlap between ''B. a. continentalis'' and the Gould’s frogmouth in the southern part of the country. In
Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...
, both species overlap more extensively, but ''B. a. continentalis'' can be distinguished by its smaller bill. ''B. a. affinis'' wing feathers have less white spots than the Gould’s frogmouth and they also have very little overlap. * Hodgson’s frogmouth (''B. hodgsoni''): Generally larger, darker, and more spotted than ''B. a. continentalis''. * Bornean frogmouth (''B. mixtus''): Less heavily spotted than ''B. a. affinis''. * Sumatran frogmouth (''B. poliolophus''): Underparts are more spotted than ''B. a. affinis''. *
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 t ...
(''B. cornutus''): Larger, darker, and more heavily marked underparts than ''B. a. affinis''. The Blyth’s frogmouth, like other genera in the family, tends to look like owls (
Strigidae The true owls or typical owls (family (biology), family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls and bay owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species ...
), but differs from them by its lack of strong claws on the toes. A study from 2015 also confirmed that the species ''Masillapodargus longpipes'' is a similar frogmouth in the order Podargiformes. New fossil evidence from the
early Eocene In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...
German fossil site Messel confirmed its classification.


Distribution and habitat

'' Batrachostomus'', including the Blyth’s frogmouth, are found from
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
to as far as
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
,
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
, and
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
. The
arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...
species thrives in mature lowland evergreen forests. In
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, it tends to prefer
forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
s and
rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
s of extreme lowlands, but can also live in mixed deciduous forest at an elevation of 800 meters further north. Records of the Blyth’s frogmouth also exist in
Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...
near swampy
jungle jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...
s and in lower storeys of forests in lowlands and hills. In
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
, the bird species is often seen on plains and in mountains, between 0-1,600 meters of elevation. They always seem to be where there is dense forest undergrowth. They were also recorded in
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...
s in southern Sumatra, as well as in
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, and
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
. Blyth’s frogmouths usually perch 1.5-12.0 meters above the ground and research suggests that they might be sedentary. Even though the Blyth’s frogmouth has a relatively wide range, the fossil record suggests that frogmouths were also previously found in western and central
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. During the
Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
and
Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
(30-40 million years ago), those regions in Europe had subtropical forests that would have been appropriate for frogmouths. They probably went extinct in Europe when climatic changes in the
Early Pleistocene The Early Pleistocene is an unofficial epoch (geology), sub-epoch in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, representing the earliest division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. It is currently esti ...
caused the last of the subtropical forests to disappear.


Behaviour and ecology


Breeding

Although detailed breeding information for Blyth's frogmouth is limited, family and genus-level observations can still offer valuable insights into their behaviour and ecology.   '' Batrachostomus'' species usually breed in forests and build their nests in the open on small branches. Their territory, usually occupied by a single pair, can cover up to 80 hectares. They usually build small nests made of bark, cobwebs, hair,
moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...
,
lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...
, and other plant matter. The cup-shaped nests are extremely small and shallow, with observations of five ''Batrachostomus'' species suggesting they can hold only a single-egg. There have been reports of two-egg clutches for the Javan frogmouth (''B. javensis''), but they still need to be confirmed. Some suggest that the egg only stays in place in the nest from the constant presence of an incubating bird, which adopts a half-upright posture. '' Batrachostomus'' frogmouths, including Blyth’s, exhibit
sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...
. Drabber males are the incubating parent and do so during the day, while the brighter females take care of their territory during the night. Little information exists about their incubation and parental roles, but females of some '' Batrachostomus'' species are suspected to also incubate at night.


Vocalization

Vocalizations seem to be mainly after dark, before dawn, and at sunrise, which reflects the
nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...
nature of the Blyth’s frogmouth. Territorial songs are mostly during the early evening and dawn, while calls are during the night. Territorial songs are apparently similar in ''B. a. affinis'' and ''B. a. continentalis'', and are given by females. Those songs are a descending series of 3-5 units and sound like ''gwaa-gwaa-gwaa-gwaa'' or a maniacal laughter. Some variations exist. Males and females produce short, varied calls, with transitional sounds when shifting from one call to another. ''B. a. affinis'' (in
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
and
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
) and ''B. a. continentalis'' males can give plaintive whistles that are low pitched in the middle. ''B. a. affinis'' males can also do long rapid series of ''quit'' and single ''gwaa'' that are described as “barks” or “quiet frog-like croaks”. Overall, the vocalizations of the Blyth’s frogmouth are wheezy and asthmatic-like. They start explosive and loud and gradually fade.


Diet

The Blyth’s frogmouth is
insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant which eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores we ...
. The stomach content of 20 specimens from
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
included
beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
s,
grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...
s,
earwig Earwigs make up the insect order (biology), order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cercus, cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincer (biology), pincers on ...
s,
caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
s,
moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
s,
cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are insects belonging to the Order (biology), order Blattodea (Blattaria). About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known Pest (organism), pests. Modern cockro ...
es,
termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...
s,
ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...
s,
cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...
s,
crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets and more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 886 ...
, a yellow
butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
, and a
gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...
mollusc with a flat shell. More information is required on the subject. Frogmouths usually feed by sallying (i.e., fly or leap out from a branch) to the ground or by collecting insects directly from tree trunks and leafy branches. They can also catch insects, like moths, directly in flight.


Status and conservation

Currently, the Blyth’s frogmouth (''B. affinis'') is listed under ''B. javensis'' on the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
and is assessed as a least-concern species. It was previously considered
near-threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qu ...
in 1994, but that was mostly due to the confusion around its taxonomy. In
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
,
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, and
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, the Blyth’s frogmouth is mostly uncommon. In
Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...
, it is more or less common, and in central Malaysia it is at least as common as the Gould’s frogmouth (''B. stellatus'') in similar habitats. However, the species is still data deficient, so it might be under-recorded and its distribution might be incomplete. The main threat to the Blyth’s frogmouth is
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
, since it exclusively lives in
rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
habitat.


External links


Audio recordings of Blyth's frogmouth
on Xeno-canto.
Distribution map of Blyth's frogmouth
on Avibase.


References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q3071774, from2=Q27610837, from3=Q27610836 Batrachostomus Birds described in 1847 Taxa named by Edward Blyth Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN