Hodgson's frogmouth (''Batrachostomus hodgsoni'') is a species of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
in the family
Podargidae. It is found in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, and
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. Its natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is temperate
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s.
The common name commemorates the British naturalist
Brian Houghton Hodgson.
This bird is part of the same order as
nightjars are. Both birds are nocturnal and they share similar rictal bristles on the bill which they use to know when to close their bill shut on insects as they
hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
.
This feature is just a
hypothesis
A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous obse ...
by scientists who do not completely understand the true use of those bristles yet. the frogmouth differs from its cousin by heavier bills, shorter and more rounded wings and upright posture when perched.
Description
Hodgson's frogmouth is one of the smaller members of the family Podargidae. As an adult, its length ranges between
and it weighs approximately .
The brown and gray plumage of this tropical bird resembles tree bark.
This plumage is a soft and mottled cryptic plumage. The physical appearance differs from other species by a heavier black marking above breast as well as no
rufous on breast.
Hodgson's frogmouth is the most well-marked sexual
dichromatic of all frogmouths.
The male is rufous brown. Upper parts are heavily marked with black, especially on the head, with irregular bold whitish markings particularly on scapular and upper mantle which forms a white collar. Underparts are heavily and regularly marked with black, white and
rufous. Female is more uniformly
rufous, with irregular black-tipped white spots on the upper mantle, scapular and underparts.
Males duller in color than females.
Frogmouths are distinguishable by their large head and body compared to their small legs and feet. This feature blocks them from walking and make them exclusively
arboreal.
They have a thick large bill that takes the most part of their face and make them look like an angry old man. This strong bill is covered with rictal bristles at its base. These two last physical traits are others unique criteria of Frogmouth that make them look like an angry old man. The utility of the bristles on their face is much debated by biologists. The most popular
hypothesis
A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous obse ...
is that the bird would use them to detect insects and know when to close their bill shut on the
invertebrate
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
s when this one is near the mouth.
They have additional long facial bristles suspected to protect the eyes. Their large head and their bill also contain a pair of two large yellow-rounded eyes which help them to see in the dark during night times.
The Asian bird possesses short round wings and tail which explain its very local territory.
As they do not differ from other frogmouth except some slight color variation, the best way to identify Hodgson's frogmouth is by its
call.
Youngs are born with white down that is replaced by a darker, grayish down before
juvenile plumage is acquired.
They also have warm-tinged above with black and pale brown bars. They do not possess nuchal collar which only comes after primary
molt.
Taxonomy
The Hodgson's frogmouth is part of the genus ''Batrachostomus'' within the family Podargidae. This family contains 12 species separated into two
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
: ''Podargus'' (3 species) and ''Batrachostomus'' (9 species). The two
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
differ by their size and their geographical location. ''Podargus'' are the taller individuals going up to 60 cm in heights which is twice the size of the ''Batrachostomus'' individuals.
There are two recognized
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of Hodgson's frogmouth:
*''B. h. hodgsoni'' – living in Myanmar, India and Bangladesh.
*''B. h. indochinae'' – living in Indonesia, Thailand and Laos.
Distribution habitat
The species
arboreal is an adept of broad leaves evergreen or mixed coniferous
tropical rain forests
Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...
inside of which it will be found mainly on the middle and lower storeys.
It is found in tropical regions of Asia at altitudes ranging from .
The ''Podargidae'' is a non-migratory bird family as well as solitary individuals,
the only social interaction happens during the breeding season where the individuals all converge in the Indian region between the month of April and June.
The home range of the Hodgson's frogmouth consists of all tropical regions of Asia. Those region corresponds to the South of Asia, this is why it has been heard or seen in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, SE
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, E
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
, NE
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, W,N,E
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
, NW
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, and C Annam.
The first Hodgson's frogmouth in central Laos was recorded in 1994 during the month of April in a dry evergreen forest at 1000 m of altitude.
The two subspecies are separated geographically between the Southeast and Southwest of Asia. ''B. h. hodgsoni'' lives more west in countries like Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh while ''B. h. indochinae'' dominates the region more east like Indonesia, Thailand and Laos.
Species from the other genus ''Podargus'' are also located in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
but that is not the case of the ''Batrachostomus'' species.
Behavior
Diet
Hodgson's frogmouth survives on a mainly
insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores were ...
diet. It includes most of the time moths, beetles and other large insects.
The nocturnal active bird catches prey on short flights from its perches using shrill-like or roller-like hunting method.
Because of its small rounded wings and tail, it is not capable of
hawking
Hawking may refer to:
People
* Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), English theoretical physicist and cosmologist
*Hawking (surname), a family name (including a list of other persons with the name)
Film
* ''Hawking'' (2004 film), about Stephen Haw ...
for insects on the wing.
The Asian bird also likes to look for insects inside trunks or living tree branches which it can easily dig with its large strong bill set with rictal bristles at the base of it allow the bird to detect insects.
Camouflage
To protect themselves during the daytime, Hodgson's frogmouth uses a
camouflage technique. This bird benefit from its bark looking like plumage and is easily confused with a part of the tree by predators. In case of a predator hanging too close, it developed a technique that could be called the “broken branch”: the small bird freezes sitting on its
nest and its partner and points its bill upward making one with the tree. Males incubate in daytime that's why they have duller colors than females which are more active in nocturnal
territory
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
defense.
Reproduction
The breeding season occurs between April and June in the Indian region. Hodgson's frogmouths are observable also in
Annam during the period before
reproduction
Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual or ...
in late February or early March.
Contrarily to the other genus of ''Podargidae'', who build bulky nest with twigs, the ''Batrachostomus'' species build smaller cup-shaped soft padded nests lined with their own down on horizontal branches or tree forks.
The incubation of 2 to 4 small white eggs (30 x 20 to 51 x 30 mm) last for a period of approximately 30 days.
The male does the nestling but both sexes feed the young on regurgitated food.
Young stay in the nest until able to fly.
Song
This species is very vocal during
breeding
Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant.
Breeding may refer to:
* Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...
. Calls range from soft wheezy whistles to harsh tremulous rattles.
The song is soft with slightly trilled rising whistles: , , . Sometimes soft chuckling notes are added.
Conservation status
Two species from the ''Bratachostomus''
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
have been declining due to
habitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological processes ...
and
habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
of lowland rain forest
but the very large
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
at their disposition allow them to not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion.
Even though the population size has not been quantified, it is not believed to approach the criterion of a decline greater than 30% over ten years or three generations to be considered vulnerable.
For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1260171
Hodgson's frogmouth
Hodgson's frogmouth (''Batrachostomus hodgsoni'') is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The common name com ...
Birds of Bhutan
Birds of Laos
Birds of Myanmar
Birds of Northeast India
Hodgson's frogmouth
Hodgson's frogmouth (''Batrachostomus hodgsoni'') is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The common name com ...
Hodgson's frogmouth
Hodgson's frogmouth (''Batrachostomus hodgsoni'') is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The common name com ...
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot