Keeping the Tawny Frogmouth, with Notes on Natural History

[findi]

Hi All,

(Not a finch, but I'm betting this is a much-loved Aussie!)

Photos of the Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides), with its huge yellow eyes, gaping mouth, “expressive face” (an impression given by the feathery “eyebrows”) and owl-like plumage, have captivated me since childhood. For years, I stalked Whip-poor-wills, Nighthawks and other of its relatives that dwelled in the USA. Actual contact with a Frogmouth was delayed, however, until I began working at the Bronx Zoo. But it was worth the wait, and I soon came to spend many days and nights cramming food into the capricious maws of hungry Frogmouth chicks…as much to my delight as theirs! Read article here: http://bitly.com/Pabw3m.
Comments and questions appreciated. As I do not place notices here each time I post a new article on That Bird Blog, you may wish to check in periodically or subscribe; you can do so here http://bitly.com/J500rb. Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj.

Thanks, Frank

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[finches247]

Very Interesting

[Myzomela]

Hi Frank.

Nice article- thanks for writing it.

The only comment I would make is that the secondary pesticide issue is in my opinion overstated.
Many wild birds which come into care with neurological signs-which in the past have been attributed to pesticide poisoning- are in fact suffering from an infection with the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis- in which the larvae migrate through the bird's body and if they lodge in the brain cause neurological signs.

This is seasonally a big problem particularly in birds inhabiting urban & suburban environments where, coincidentally, rat numbers are high.

[Tiaris]

They are the undisputed avian kings of camouflage & great mouse catchers. We have a healthy population of them here at our property & often see them when we drive up to our home at night. They have scared the proverbial out of me a couple of times when I've walked outside past my ute at night & one of them flushes from right beside me when I get too close without first knowing they were there.

[jusdeb]

Thanks for the article .
Beautiful birds have always admired them . Recently held a baby that crows ( Aussie ravens ) had disturbed during the day and flushed out of its comfort zone , gawjus babies ...yes it was assessed (WIRES) and returned to its hidie hole same day .

[Jayburd]

When I was four and lived in the hills above Perth, we had a family that bred most years in our front yard. Whenever we had guests over, I'd ask how many birds were in the tree - the rousounding answer being none! and yet there they were, three tawnies sitting right there in plain sight. Masters of disguise from birth!!
Found out an interesting thing (which most people already know I suppose), they have notched eyelids - they can keep their eyes shut and still see us! Brilliant.

[findi]

Very Interesting

Thanks, much appreciated! Best, Frank

[findi]

Hi Frank.

Nice article- thanks for writing it.

The only comment I would make is that the secondary pesticide issue is in my opinion overstated.
Many wild birds which come into care with neurological signs-which in the past have been attributed to pesticide poisoning- are in fact suffering from an infection with the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis- in which the larvae migrate through the bird's body and if they lodge in the brain cause neurological signs.

This is seasonally a big problem particularly in birds inhabiting urban & suburban environments where, coincidentally, rat numbers are high.

Hi...Thanks for the kind words and interesting comment.

Good point; often hard to distinguish pesticide poisoning from other problems w/o autopsy. Also, concern about pesticides etc. sometimes cloud our perceptions. Here in the US, concerns were voiced when malformed frogs began showing up - extra rear legs, poorly formed limbs etc. pesticides/pollutants can cause similar problems, and indeed I've seen male frogs with ovaries, as a result of atrazine exposure. However, many of the frogs turned into labs were afflicted with an interesting parasite that n eeds to be in both a frog and a wading bird in order to complete its life cycle. By deforming the rear legs, the parasite increases likelihood that host frog will be captured by a heron! this has always been going on, of course, but attention to pollution etc resulted in more being found.

Same with birds. I have long used wild caught insects for birds and herps (zoos and home) w/o incident, but am careful to trap from relatively "safe" areas.

Thanks again, best, Frank

[findi]

They are the undisputed avian kings of camouflage & great mouse catchers. We have a healthy population of them here at our property & often see them when we drive up to our home at night. They have scared the proverbial out of me a couple of times when I've walked outside past my ute at night & one of them flushes from right beside me when I get too close without first knowing they were there.

Thanks for the feedback...I can't imagine having them so close at hand, must be wonderful (then again, all of your creatures are fascinating to naturalists here in the US!).

Best, Frank

[findi]

Thanks for the article .
Beautiful birds have always admired them . Recently held a baby that crows ( Aussie ravens ) had disturbed during the day and flushed out of its comfort zone , gawjus babies ...yes it was assessed (WIRES) and returned to its hidie hole same day .

My pleasure...thanks for the kind words and interesting observation, best, Frank