Was trawling through my old photos when I found this really dodgy photo of some kind of frogmouth from the Sunshine Coast a couple of years ago. At first I assumed they were Tawny Frogmouths, but upon looking closely, I think there is a bit more brown on the birds than is found on Tawny Frogmouths, and so I was wondering if anyone can tell if they are Marbled Frogmouths instead? Never having seen a Marbled Frogmouth, I'm not sure how to reliably differentiate between the two.
Thanks for any help!
They look more streaked than marbled, so I'm saying Tawny Frogmouth. Tawny FM's plumage is more suited for drier wooded areas and their streaked feathers blend into rough bark... but they still occur in rainforest. Marbled FM is suited to wet rainforest and the marbled plumage blends into smoother bark and tangled vines with fungus growing on it. I have seen Marbled FM in its roost and they are invisible without binoculars. Check tail size also... you'll notice the huge difference in length of the Marbled FM's tail (long and pointed). Sorry that I ramble on so much, I don't know if I annoy anyone with my long comments.
Brandon (aka ihewman)
Well, you're certainly not annoying me. Thanks for the help, though!