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Marbled Frogmouth (Podargus ocellatus) Alternate name(s): "Plumed Frogmouth*" Size: 37-48 cm Weight: 130-160 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Marbled Frogmouths are the smallest of all frogmouths found in Australia, with race "plumiferus" being the tallest. Their highly cryptic plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Male Marbled Frogmouths are primarily light silvery-grey with an abundance of brownish-grey scalloping on the front, while the back is more brownish-grey with lighter scalloping. Females generally have a more rufous tinge than males and can have an overall rufous morphology in which only some spots on the wing coverts are silvery-grey. The combination of rufous and dark-grey can lead to an overall dark-brown impression. All races and both sexes have a proportionally longer tail than other species of frogmouths in Australia. The irises are orange (rarely yellowish). Bill, legs and feet are grey.

Taxonomy, classification See Marbled Frogmouth at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Marbled Frogmouth is available HERE . There are 5 recognized races of Marbled Frogmouths that are subdivided into two groups, the "marbled" (ocellatus group) and the "plumed" group (with only one race, "plumiferus"). All members of the ocellatus group are found in tropical regions, on New Guinea (all the way from West Papua to Normanby Island) the island chain along the Torres Strait and on Cape York peninsula, QLD. On the Australian continent, Marbled Frogmouths are found only in small areas. Race "marmoratus" resides right at the tip of Cape York peninsula, QLD, and along a narrow coastal strip along the eastern base of Cape York peninsula, from Iron Range NP to near Yarraden, QLD. The southern (subtropical) race "plumiferus" is found along the near-coastal eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range from Great Sandy NP, QLD, to the Ballina/Lismore area in north-eastern NSW. Marbled Frogmouths have a preference for rainforest in an altitude range from ca. 50-800 m, in both subtropical and tropical regions.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "plumiferus" M. Eaton reports finding a Marbled Frogmouth, race "plumiferus", at D'Aguilar NP, near Mount Mee, QLD, in December 2019. Another was found at the same location in January 2023. All sighting, photographic and audio information presented on this page has kindly been contributed by M. Eaton.

Photos

Race "plumiferus"

This race is also known as the "Plumed Frogmouth".

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Marbled Frogmouth, eyes wide open (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[D'Aguilar National Park, near Mount Mee, QLD, January 2023]

Near-frontal view of a Marbled Frogmouth, eyes half closed (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[D'Aguilar National Park, near Mount Mee, QLD, January 2023]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

More Marbled Frogmouth sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Thu, 2 February 2023, 1:30 +00:00