Know your native birds

TAWNY FROGMOUTH

Scientific name: Podargus strigoides. Description: It’s possible you’ve walked past a bunch of tawny frogmouths thinking they were just a broken branch on a tree. The birds are masters of disguise, thanks in large part to their textured, mottled plumage: a mix of grey, white, black and rusty red. (They’ve also nailed some rather effective branch-like poses.) Tawny frogmouths are stocky birds with big, yellow eyes and heavy, wide bills – the inspiration for their ‘frogmouth’ title. Favourite hangout: Found all round Australia, from coast to coast (and even over the Bass Strait), these feathery fellows are happy in most habitats, aside from dry deserts and dense rainforests. They’re nocturnal, so get most of their business done at night – daytime is for perching on branches, trying to blend in. Unfortunately for their offspring, tawny frogmouths are rubbish at building nests. They’ll carelessly dump some leaves and sticks into