Tawny Frogmouths

I have over the last 12months been studying the tawny frogmouth and working on some ideas – drawings and prints – based around these interesting birds. Tawny frogmouths are often mistaken as owls but they have weak feet and as such are not part of the ‘owl’ family but are ‘nightjars’. When confronted they use their wide eyes, beak and hiss to scare off potential attackers.

The Tawny Frogmouth is named – because of its ‘tawny’ colour and ‘frogmouth’ – because the shape of their beak being similar to a frog’s mouth.

Their plumage colour blends with the rough texture and colour of tree trunks and coupled with their ability to sit extremely still for long periods of time they are able to fool potential threats and attackers into thinking they are not there. They have a feathered ‘brush’ above their beaks that help them capture potential prey such as moth.