Photo of the Week - Tawny Frogmouth (Australia)

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The tawny frogmouth is a uniquely Australian bird, found superbly camouflaged in trees. They are often described as an owl though this is not technically true. Typically, someone needs to point them out for you to be aware they are there but once discovered they rarely move far from their favourite branch or tree. The bird in the photos lives not far from my home in Sydney. Their ability to stay still for hours and appear like a branch allows them to hunt by simply waiting for rats, mice, frogs and insects to wander past and seize them in their beak. Impressively, they mate for life and truly share the rearing of chicks both sharing sitting on the eggs and the feeding duties.