Blyth's Frogmouth

About the Blyth's Frogmouth

Blyth’s frogmouth (Batrachostomus affinis) is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. They are brownish or rufescent brown with a slightly round bill and tail, and have tufts of bristles in front of the eyes and at the base of the bill. Batrachostomus occur from India and Sri Lanka, across mainland southeast Asia and as far as Borneo, Java, and Sumatra. More specifically, the Blyth’s frogmouths are scattered between southeastern Myanmar and Indonesia. Like other frogmouth species, they are insectivorous.

The English zoologist, curator of the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Calcutta), and collector Edward Blyth (1810–1873) gave his name to B. affinis. “Frogmouth” simply refers to the frog-like large and extremely wide bills of the birds. In French, the word “podarge” in Podarge de Blyth was given by the naturalist Baron Cuvier, referencing the bird’s short legs and awkward appearance. The term is derived from the Greek word “podargos”, which means “gouty man”.

Blyth’s frogmouth is one of 17 species of frogmouths in the family Podargidae, which includes the three genera Podargus, Rigidipenna, and Batrachostomus. Blyth’s frogmouth is in the genus... Wikipedia →