Tawny Frogmouth

Tawny Frogmouth

Podargus strigoides

Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
at Flinders Ranges National Park
6 Verified sightings at Flinders Ranges National Park From 2019 to 2026
985 Verified sightings across all 19 parks From 2019 to 2026
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Tawny Frogmouth

The tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is a species of frogmouth native to the Australian mainland and Tasmania and found throughout. It is a big-headed, stocky bird often mistaken for an owl due to its nocturnal habits and similar colouring.

In the past, it was sometimes mistakenly called a mopoke or mopawk, a name used for the Australian boobook, the call of which is often confused with that of the tawny frogmouth. The tawny frogmouth was first described in 1801 by English naturalist John Latham. Its specific epithet is derived from Latin strix "owl" and oides "form". Tawny frogmouths belong to the frogmouth genus Podargus, which includes the two other species of frogmouths found within Australia, the marbled frogmouth and the Papuan frogmouth. The frogmouths form a well-defined group within the order Caprimulgiformes. Although related to owls, their closest relatives are the oilbirds, potoos, owlet-nightjars, and true nightjars. The earliest fossil evidence of frogmouths, from the Eocene, implies that they diverged from their closest relatives during the early Tertiary. Three subspecies of the tawny frogmouth are currently recognised:

P. s. phalaenoides... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
3 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
4 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
5 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
6 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
7 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
8 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
9 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
10 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
11 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
12 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
13 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
14 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
15 Flinders Ranges National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
16 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
17 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
18 Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
19 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
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