A pair of tawny frogmouths, Podargus strigoides, also known as false owls, photographed in mallee scrub 100 kilometres east of Adelaide, South Australia.
Image: "Hannah's Dad" [velociraptorize].
Question: This Australian mystery bird is deceptive in more ways than one -- can you identify the species and tell me a little about its deceptive ways?
Response: Did you see both birds? This is a pair of tawny frogmouths, Podargus strigoides, a species that is also known as the false owl in honour of its nocturnal habits. However, this bird is actually a nightjar (Caprimulgiformes) -- a peculiar group of crepuscular birds that are primarily insectivorous. But unlike its cousins, tawny frogmouths do not catch their prey on the wing. Instead, they behave similarly to some owl species: they sit motionless, blending in with their surroundings (often a dead tree), waiting for a juicy morsel (like a mouse, lizard or spider) to wander their way, whereupon they pounce on the luckless creature and swallow it whole.
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