The Papuan frogmouth (''Podargus papuensis'') 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.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by zoologist
Jean René Constant Quoy
Jean René Constant Quoy (10 November 1790 in Maillé, Vendée, Maillé – 4 July 1869 in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Rochefort) was a French naval surgeon, zoologist and anatomist.
In 1806, he began his medical studies at the school of naval ...
and naturalist
Joseph Paul Gaimard
Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon and naturalist.
Biography
Gaimard was born at Saint-Zacharie on January 31, 1793. He studied medicine at the naval medical school in Toulon, subsequent ...
in 1830.
The three subspecies are ''P. p. papuensis'', ''P. p. baileyi'', and ''P. p. rogersi''.
Description
The Papuan frogmouth is the largest of
frogmouth
The frogmouths are a group of nocturnal birds related to owlet-nightjars, swifts, and hummingbirds. Species in the group are distributed in the Indomalayan and Australasian realms.
Biology
They are named for their large flattened hooked bill and ...
s in terms of length. Average sizes indicate that it only falls behind the
Neotropic
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
al
great potoo
The great potoo (''Nyctibius grandis'') is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America.
Much like owls, this species is nocturnal. It preys on large insects and small vertebrates, which it captures in sallies ...
and
oilbird
The oilbird (''Steatornis caripensis''), locally known as the , is a bird species found in the northern areas of South America including the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is the only species in the genus ''Steatornis'', the family Steatornith ...
(if the latter is a true member of the order) among the largest species in the order
Caprimulgiformes
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tal ...
. On average these birds are about , with a range of . This species was found to average in males and in females, with a total range of .
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 colour ...
is smaller on average than this but is capable of reaching higher maximum weights. The Papuan frogmouth has a bulbous bill, red eye, cream eyebrow, long tail and dark wings. The male of the species is slightly larger, darker and marbled in appearance. The female is more rufous in appearance.
''P. p. baileyi'' is smaller, and darker. ''P. p. rogersi'' is larger and paler.
Similar species include 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 colour ...
. The Papuan frogmouth is larger, has red eyes, a longer tail, and darker wings.
Distribution and habitat
It is found in the
Aru Islands
The Aru Islands Regency ( id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Aru) is a group of about 95 low-lying islands in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It also forms a regency of Maluku Province, with a land area of . At the 2011 Census the Regency had a po ...
,
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
, and
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...
.
This species' 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
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
or
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
, moist, lowland
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.
Behaviour
Call
The call is a resonant 'ooom' or a laughing hoot. It is usually heard after dusk and before dawn.
[
]
Breeding
Breeding takes place from August to January. One or two white eggs are placed in a nest consisting of a few sticks placed in the fork of a branch.
Feeding
The Papuan frogmouth is strictly nocturnal. It hunts for large insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...
s on the ground from dusk. On occasion, it also takes small reptiles, amphibians, or birds as prey.
The Papuan frogmouth may secrete a substance in its mouth that attracts flies. According to a number of observers, it is able to wait with its mouth open and flies enter to investigate the odor.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1190032
Papuan frogmouth
The Papuan frogmouth (''Podargus papuensis'') is a species of bird in the family Podargidae.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by zoologist Jean René Constant Quoy and naturalist Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830.
The three subspeci ...
Birds of New Guinea
Birds of Cape York Peninsula
Papuan frogmouth
The Papuan frogmouth (''Podargus papuensis'') is a species of bird in the family Podargidae.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by zoologist Jean René Constant Quoy and naturalist Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830.
The three subspeci ...
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxa named by Jean René Constant Quoy
Taxa named by Joseph Paul Gaimard