Gould's Frogmouth
Batrachostomus stellatus
Cryptic, seldom-seen nightbird of lowland and foothill forests. Unlike other small frogmouths, sexes are alike. Light morph is bright rufous with scattered white dots on the wings and mottled-white underparts. Dark morph is brown but with the same general patterning. Compare with Sunda Frogmouth: male Sunda is much more heavily marked with white above and has patchier markings on the underparts, while female Sunda has a prominent white band across the chest. Sumatran and Bornean Frogmouths inhabit higher elevations. Song is a loud “weeow-wah.” Calls include “weeow” and a rapid series of “wuk” notes that resembles a thrush’s alarm call.
Identification
Gould's frogmouth is a medium-sized bird that will approximately weight 47 to 48.5 g and measure 21 to 25 cm. It can be seen in two different morphs. They both have the same patterns except that one is light and the other one is dark. They are mostly brown and have a white collar with some scattered white spots on the cover of the wings. The underparts have oval-shaped spots that appears whitish. Contrarily to the other frogmouths, the males and females are very similar. However, some differences arise which permit their identification. The females will have a darker reddish-brown color. Moreover, females have brown iris and yellowish legs while the males have yellow iris and pinkish legs.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Batrachostomus stellatus
- Authority
- (Gould, 1837)
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Podargidae
- Genus
- Batrachostomus
Range and habitat
This species is found solely in Southeast Asia. More precisely, it is found in Brunei, certain regions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and in Southern Thailand. However, it is mostly present in Malaysia and Singapore. The habitat of Gould's frogmouths is tropical rainforest. They are mostly found in forest with native tree species that has not been disturbed by humans. This species usually lives in lowland forests, up to 500 metres elevation.
Conservation
According to the IUCN, the Gould's frogmouth species is categorized as near threatened. Its population is continuously decreasing. This is due to the threats to its habitat. In Southern Thailand, there is a critical decline in the bird populations living in the lowland areas because the deforestation of the lowland forests by humans is destroying the habitat of different species. Therefore, Gould's frogmouth species is facing local extinction in Thailand. However, this species is spread in many different regions of Southeast Asia, so it reduces the risks of total extinction.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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