The marbled frogmouth (''Podargus ocellatus'') is a

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. The species was first described by

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

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. 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

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. 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 ...

s are

subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

and subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

Taxonomy

There are five subspecies recognised; the

nominate Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In the ...

''ocellatus'' is found in

and surrounding islands. Two subspecies are found on islands of

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

; ''intermedius'' is found on

Trobriand Islands The Trobriand Islands are a archipelago of coral atolls off the east coast of New Guinea. They are part of the nation of Papua New Guinea and are in Milne Bay Province. Most of the population of 12,000 indigenous inhabitants live on the main isla ...

and

D'Entrecasteaux Islands D'Entrecasteaux Islands () are situated near the eastern tip of New Guinea in the Solomon Sea in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The group spans a distance of , has a total land area of approximately and is separated from the Papua New G ...

, ''meeki'' is endemic to

Tagula Island Vanatinai Island (also called Tagula and Sudest, for the names of the extreme capes of the island) is a volcanic island in the south-east of the Louisiade Archipelago within Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The reef-fringed island is approxi ...

. Australia has two subspecies; ''marmoratus'' is found on

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 ...

, ''plumiferus'' (known locally as the plumed frogmouth) is found in south-east Queensland. ''Rigidipenna inexpectatus'',

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to four islands in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

, was formerly considered a subspecies. It was split into its own genus, ''

Rigidipenna The Solomons frogmouth (''Rigidipenna inexpectata''), also known as the Cinnamon frogmouth or Solomon Islands frogmouth, is a bird in the frogmouth family. It was first described in 1901, but not recognized as a distinct species until 2007.Cleere ...

'', in 2007.Cleere et al. 2007. A new genus of frogmouth (Podargidae) from the Solomon Islands – results from a taxonomic review of ''Podargus ocellatus inexpectatus'' Hartert 1901. ''Ibis'' 149:271-286

Distribution and habitat

The Conondale ranges in Queensland's Sunshine Coast is considered a stronghold for the plumed frogmouth; notable populations are within the Conondale National Park. The species is rare and is listed as vulnerable in Queensland and occurs in

subtropical rainforest Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of Subtropics, subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glo ...

and vineforest at altitudes from 50–800 m.Smith, G.C., Hamley, B.J., Lees, N., 1998. An Estimate of the Plumed Frogmouth ''Podargus ocellatus plumiferus'' Population Size in the Conondale Ranges WW Document URL http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=668756953042077;res=IELNZC (accessed 4.16.14). The species roosts in the canopy of and is considered cryptic and extremely hard to find or study. Current populations are threatened by land clearing, inappropriate fire regimes and timber harvesting with future impacts of climate change posing additional risks. There have been estimates of the current pairs in the Conondale ranges being around 800 pairs with the current range of the species is just under 2000 ha with some potential future habitat increase in population being created by regenerating rainforest previously logged. Its specialised habitat requirements being un-logged pristine forests, the species is considered extremely vulnerable due to significant habitat reduction. Future harvesting of native timber in the Conondale region also poses risk.

Behavior

''P. ocellatus'' is a nocturnal ground feeder. During the day, it sleeps on a tree branch with its beak pointing upward, taking on the appearance of a tree branch. To cope with the heat and humidity of its tropical home, ''P. ocellatus'' has heart and respiration rates lower than is typical for birds of its size. During periods of

hyperthermia Hyperthermia, also known simply as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. When extreme ...

, it will enact panting as a cooling mechanism, with more efficient cooling effect than is seen in other bird species performing the same action.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q261612

marbled frogmouth The marbled frogmouth (''Podargus ocellatus'') is a bird in the family Podargidae. The species was first described by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830. It is found in the Aru Islands, New Guinea and Queensland. Its nat ...

Birds of New Guinea Birds of Cape York Peninsula Birds of Queensland

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Jean René Constant Quoy Taxa named by Joseph Paul Gaimard