Podargus strigoides
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
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 colouring.
In the past, it was sometimes mistakenly called a mopoke or mopawk, a name used for the Australian boobook, the call of which is often confused with that of the tawny frogmouth. The tawny frogmouth was first described in 1801 by English naturalist John Latham. Its specific epithet is derived from Latin strix "owl" and oides "form". Tawny frogmouths belong to the frogmouth genus Podargus, which includes the two other species of frogmouths found within Australia, the marbled frogmouth and the Papuan frogmouth. The frogmouths form a well-defined group within the order Caprimulgiformes. Although related to owls, their closest relatives are the oilbirds, potoos, owlet-nightjars, and true nightjars. The earliest fossil evidence of frogmouths, from the Eocene, implies that they diverged from their closest relatives during the early Tertiary. Three subspecies of the tawny frogmouth are currently recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | SeaWorld Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Monarto Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Werribee Open Range Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Alice Springs Desert Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 20 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 23 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 24 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Brevard Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | Hobart Zoo and Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 29 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 30 | Virginia Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | Cleland Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 32 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Blank Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 34 | Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 35 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 38 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 39 | El Paso Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Naples Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 43 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 44 | Turtle Back Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 46 | Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 47 | Birdworld | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 48 | Gladys Porter Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 49 | Billabong Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 50 | Ballarat Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Frogmouth sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 214 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 99th most-seen of the 196 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Frogmouth in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months. That is one of Blue Mountains National Park's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 150 mm in March.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tawny Frogmouth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Tawny Frogmouth sightings, Blue Mountains National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 10%), Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Springbrook National Park (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tawny Frogmouth is recorded against all the birds logged in Blue Mountains National Park (214 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
