Large Frogmouth
Batrachostomus auritus
Sizeable nightbird with deep black eyes and wispy pale whiskers above its eyes that give it the appearance of a distinguished professor. Warm, pale, brown overall with bright white spots on the wings. Despite its size, this lowland rainforest giant can be cryptic and difficult to find; roosts under cover by day and hunts from a perch by night. Favors undisturbed primary forest, but also occasionally in disturbed areas. Song is a mellow rolling tremolo; calls include barks and screeches.
Identification
The large frogmouth is considerably larger than other members of its genus and grows to a length of about 42 cm (17 in). The sexes are similar and the colouring is rather variable, the upper parts being mainly chestnut and blackish-brown, barred and spotted with white and buff. The underparts are dull brown or pale rufous, the belly being paler than the breast. The beak is horn-coloured with a darker tip, the gape being yellow, the irises are some shade of light or dark brown, and the legs are a dull yellow.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Batrachostomus auritus
- Authority
- (Gray, JE, 1829)
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Podargidae
- Genus
- Batrachostomus
Range and habitat
The species occurs in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Its range extends from southern Thailand, through Sabah, Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia to Kalimantan, Sumatra, Indonesia and Brunei. Its habitat is primary lowland forest, but it is also found in secondary forest and in areas of regenerating growth. It is found at elevations from sea level to at least 250 m, and perhaps to 1000 m.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The behaviour of this bird is not well known. It hunts by night, on the ground and in the canopy, feeding on insects such as grasshoppers and cicadas. It roosts by day, perching on a branch or hidden in a hole, singly or possibly in pairs. On one occasion an individual was mobbed by a greater racket-tailed drongo until it flew off into dense cover. Sings, mainly by night, from a perch in a tree, its voice being variously described as a repeated "deep hollow-sounding tremolo" or as a "series of four to eight loud, liquid trills".<p>The nest is firmly attached to a slender branch of a shrub or small tree. It consists of a circular cushion of down on which the single egg is balanced; the egg would fall off were it not for the incubating parent bird which crouches lengthwise along the branch rather than across it.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Tiny flycatcher with a long slender tail. Differs from other tyrannulets in being mostly bright olive-green above and gray below with darkish ear patches, prominent white eyerings, and pinkish (not dark) legs. Found in the understory of dense humid montane forests between 950–2,150 m; rarely joins mixed-species flocks. The song is a series of loud harsh notes; also makes snapping noises with its bill.
Baudin's Black-Cockatoo
Zanda baudinii
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Rufous-breasted Sabrewing
Campylopterus hyperythrus
Large, conspicuous hummingbird of tepui highlands. Green above and rufous below. Note extensively rufous outer tail feathers, which are easily seen as birds tend to flare tail frequently. Generally common at higher elevations (above 1000 m), especially at forest edge and in lower-stature, scrubby vegetation. Feeds on nectar and pugnaciously defends patches of flowers against other hummingbirds. Not shy and will approach to investigate observers. In territorial interactions, gives a rich, sharp note, often doubled, repeated incessantly, and similar to calls of more widespread Gray-breasted Sabrewing; also gives a single, ascending, burry note, possibly as an alarm call. No other hummingbird in highland range is as large or shows as much rufous.
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