Gould's frogmouth is a nocturnal species of bird in the order Caprimulgiformes and the family Podargidae. It is one of the 12 species in the Batrachostomus genus. Its common name commemorates the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould (1804-1881).
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs in Sundaic lowland and hill forests of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, including peat swamp and mixed dipterocarp forests. It favors dense understory and forest edges where it can sally from low to mid-level perches. The species also uses secondary forest and well-wooded riverine areas when primary habitat is scarce. Roost sites are typically quiet, shaded branches with good concealment.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Gould's frogmouth is a cryptic, nocturnal bird of Southeast Asian forests, famed for its superb camouflage and wide, frog-like gape for catching insects. It roosts motionless on horizontal branches by day, resembling a broken stump. The species is sensitive to extensive logging but persists in a variety of forest types. Its name honors the English ornithologist John Gould.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short, silent flights between shaded perches
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, especially during breeding. By day it perches lengthwise on branches, relying on stillness for concealment. Nests are small, flimsy platforms placed on horizontal branches; both parents likely share incubation and care. Territorial calling occurs at night from regular perches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, low hoots or booming notes given at intervals, often in a short series. Calls carry modestly through the understory at night and may be preceded by quiet grunts or clicks.
Plumage
Cryptically mottled with fine, star-like white speckling over rufous-brown to grey-brown feathers; soft, loose-textured plumage aids camouflage.
Diet
Primarily takes large nocturnal insects such as moths, beetles, katydids, and cicadas. It hunts by sallying from a perch to snatch prey in the air or from foliage. The huge gape helps it seize erratic flying insects, and it may occasionally take small vertebrates when available.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along forest edges, gaps, and along streams where insects concentrate. Often hunts from low to mid-level perches with partial cover, returning to favored spots repeatedly.
