I hope all of the children out there had a great first day back to school. Similarly, I hope all the parents celebrated by doing something fun and exciting. Don’t worry, if you forgot to celebrate since we are going to do something fun and exciting right now. What is it, you ask? Well, we are going to learn about the Tawny Frogmouth. What did you think we were going to do? The really exciting part of all this is the fact that we are heading to Australia, unless you would prefer Tasmania or New Guinea, since this Frogmouth can be found at all 3 locations.
So you might be thinking that the Tawny Frogmouth is an interesting type of Owl. Well, you wouldn’t be the first person to think this, however, they are not actually an owl species. I know that the Tawny Frogmouth is also nocturnal, which leads to even more confusion but trust me when I say they are not related to the owl. If you still don’t believe me then I suggest taking a quick peak at the Frogmouth’s feet. You will notice that they are missing the curved talons that most raptors have. I guess they don’t need to have these specially designed feet since they are not snatching up small mammals on a regular basis.
Nope, the Tawny Frogmouth prefers to use their large, white, frog-like mouth to capture insects. I bet you are starting to see how these birds got their name, aren’t you? Besides insects, this large mouthed bird will also feast on worms, snails, frogs and even small mammals. Even though they will occasionally feed on small mammals, they still don’t need to have the strong, sharp feet that owls have. Instead, the Tawny Frogmouth will simply pounce on their prey from their nice, comfy perch in their favourite tree. Just imagine how surprised that poor little animal is when they get jumped on from above.
Tawny Frogmouth Fast Fact – Besides using trees to hunt, the Tawny Frogmouth will also spend their days on the branches low to the ground. Their colouring allows them to blend in perfectly. In fact, they actually look like a part of the tree.
Well that does it for another Wednesday Wild Fact. Thanks for reading and we will meet up again tomorrow!
