Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing frogmouths. There are about fifteen living frogmouth species. These birds get their common name from their wide, frog-like mouths! They have hooked bills and a gaping maw designed for catching anything that fits inside. Frogmouths eat insects like moths, grasshoppers, and beetles as well as rodents and lizards. These larger prey are often smacked against a hard surface prior to consumption.

Frogmouths range from India across southern Asia and down into Australia. The Asian frogmouths are slightly smaller than the Australian species and they have more bristles on their faces. It's believed these extra bristles help protect their eyes from the impact of larger, hard shelled meals. The bigger Australian species more frequently take vertebrate animals as a food source.

In size, frogmouths range from eight inches to two feet (20-61cm) in length. They have round wings and tails. These birds spend the day resting while perched in trees. They sit horizontally on a tree branch and their feathers camouflage them against the bark until they're almost indistinguishable from their surrounding environment. If startled, they stiffen up and make themselves look like a tree branch. This is called "stumping". They may also let out a buzzing hiss if disturbed. It sounds similar to this: (audio). When not upset, they give a small grunt to communicate: (audio)

Frogmouths are not strong fliers. Though they look like owls, they lack the talons found in owls. Frogmouths have small feet! They're most closely related to nightjars though their classification is currently a topic of debate in the scientific community. At night, when they're active, frogmouths sit and wait for prey to wander nearby and then actively pounce on it from their perch from above.

Frogmouths are most commonly found in forested areas but they sometimes travel into open areas like fields boarding the forest edge. They're monogamous and both parents take part in building the nest and incubating the eggs. Like the similar looking potoo, these birds nest in the crook of a tree. They lay one to three eggs that take about a month to hatch. After hatching, the chicks remain in the nest for about a month under the care of both their parents. They're ready to find their own mate by their first year of life. In captivity, they can live a decade, but it's unknown how long they live in the wild.

Frogmouths are threatened by habitat loss. Especially in lowland forest areas they suffer from population declines that have led to some species being listed as threatened with extinction. Many people aren't aware of the existence of these birds, so hopefully this video will help spread some awareness!

For more facts on frogmouths, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! Thank you to these viewers for today’s request! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!