Marbled Frogmouth

1. Long, graduated tail with widely spaced feather tips.

2. Wide, flat bill and orange eyes.

3. Bold white eyebrow stripe and barred forehead tufts

These birds are nocturnal and hunt large insects and small vertebrates by gliding from perches in the mid-canopy. During the day, they remain motionless, mimicking broken branches. Marbled Frogmouths breed between August and December, constructing small platform nests in tree forks or on epiphytes. Both parents share incubation duties, with males typically incubating during the day. The species has a small home range and is vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation, especially in southeastern Queensland where populations are considered vulnerable

Marbled Frogmouths inhabit subtropical and tropical rainforests, vine forests, and dense forested gullies. In Australia, they are most often found in the Conondale Ranges of Queensland and in remt rainforests from Cape York to northeastern New South Wales. They prefer shaded, moist understory areas and are most active at dusk and dawn. Listening for their unusual descending “gobble” call followed by a bill snap is often the best way to detect their presence.

Some Aboriginal people’s stories, such as from the Noongar people of South Western Australia describe frogmouths (and other nocturnal birds) as night spirits or harbingers of death, with their calls considered powerful omens in the night.