Tawny Frogmouth – 2025 Australian Bird of the Year

This adorable Tawny Frogmouth (affectionately dubbed Freddo) has been calling our place home for a number of weeks now, generally roosting during the day in a bottle tree which is right by our home.  Recently we spotted him perched on the fence not far from his regular tree.  He takes off late each afternoon for his nocturnal hunting, then is back very early the next morning.  Occasionally, we don’t see him for a few of days and then he quietly reappears.  We love the way he blends into the tree trunk, often looking like a piece of broken branch. 

Tawny Frogmouths and often confused with owls due to their appearance and their nocturnal habits.  They hunt for nocturnal insects, worms, snails, etc. They hunt mostly ground dwelling ‘snacks’ – large insects, spiders, frogs, small mammals and ground birds.

These birds are found throughout Australia in most habitats except for dense rainforests, alpine moors and treeless desert country.