Home > Frogmouth

The frogmouths are a group of nocturnal birds related to the nightjars. They are tropical species found from India across southern Asia to Australia.

They are named for their large flattened hooked bills and huge frog-like gape, which they use to take insects. Their flight is weak.

They rest horizontally on branches during the day, camouflaged by their cryptic plumage. Up to three white eggs are laid in the fork of a branch, and are incubated by the female at night and the male in the day.

The three Podargus species are large frogmouths restricted to Australia and New Guinea, and have have massive flat broad bills. The ten Batrachostomus frogmouths are found in tropical Asia. They have smaller, more rounded bills.

Recent research suggests that the two groups may not be as closely related as previously thought, and that the Asian species may be separable as a new family, the Batrachostomidae.

The relationships with other species are as below:

Order: Caprimulgiformes

• Family: Steatornithidae Oilbird
• Family: Podargidae frogmouths
  • Tawny Frogmouth, Podargus strigoides
  • Marbled Frogmouth, Podargus ocellatus
  • Papuan Frogmouth, Podargus papuensis
  • Large Frogmouth, Batrachostomus auritus
  • Dulit Frogmouth, Batrachostomus harterti
  • Philippine Frogmouth, Batrachostomus septimus
  • Gould's Frogmouth, Batrachostomus stellatus
  • Sri Lanka FrogmouthSri Lankan Frogmouth : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Caprimulgiformes : Podargidae Batrachostomus moniliger Binomial name Batrachostomus moniliger Blyth, 1849 The Sri Lanka Frogmouth Batrachostomus moniliger is a relatively small frogmouth. The frogmouths, Batrachostomus moniliger
  • Hodgson's Frogmouth, Batrachostomus hodgsoni
  • Short-tailed Frogmouth, Batrachostomus poliolophus
  • Javan Frogmouth, Batrachostomus javensis
  • Sunda Frogmouth Batrachostomus cornutus
• Family: Nyctibiidae potooPotoos : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Caprimulgiformes Nyctibiidae Genus Nyctibius ( Vieillot, 1816) The potoos are large near passerine birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. These are nocturnal insectivores which lack the bristles around the mous
• Family: Aegothelidae owlet-nightjarOwlet-nightjars : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Caprimulgiformes Aegothelidae ''Aegotheles Vigors and Horsfield, 1827 Owlet-nightjars are small nocturnal birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. Most are native to New Guinea, but some species extends
• Family: Caprimulgidae nightjars