Sri Lanka Frogmouth - Behaviour

Behaviour

Frogmouths are rarely seen during the day except at roost sites or when flushed. They regularly use the same roost spots for months. When alarmed at their perch, they slowly move the head to point up their bill and can easily be mistaken for a jagged broken branch. They rely on their crypsis and will often allow close approach before flushing or will sometimes open their mouth wide in a threatening display. They are sometimes mobbed at their day roost by small songbirds. They are vocal at dusk, the call of the female being a loud screechy "shkeerauuw" which drops in loudness and ends is a series of hiccups. Another call is a series of rapid "skwar-skwar-skwar" which is produced by both males and females. The breeding season in southern India is January to April and February to March in Sri Lanka. The nest is a small pad made of moss lined with down and covered on the outside with lichen and bark. A single white egg is laid and the incubating bird covers it entirely and holds the tail flush with the tree to avoid breaking the outline and appears like a lichen covered snag. The male appears to incubate during the day. After the chick leaves the nest, a male bird removed the nest and the same branch may be used each year to build a new nest. The young bird may stay with the parents for a couple of months, huddling between the parents at the roost.