Frogmouth is the name of a group of birds with large hooked beaks that resemble frogs’ mouths. Frogmouths have grayish and brownish plumage, rounded wings, and short legs. They also possess a distinctive tuft of bristlelike feathers above the base of the beak. The birds grow from 8 to 21 inches (20 to 53 centimeters) long.
Frogmouths live in forests of Australia, the Pacific Islands, and south and southeast Asia. They feed at night on insects, frogs, and other small animals that they catch on the ground. During the day, frogmouths roost on tree branches in a stiff posture with their bills pointed upward. This posture, along with their patterned gray-and-brown coloring, camouflages the birds from enemies by making them look like part of the branch. Frogmouths commonly make a low, booming call. Females lay one to three eggs.
