Sumatran frogmouth | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Strisores |
Order: | Podargiformes |
Family: | Podargidae |
Genus: | Batrachostomus |
Species: | B. poliolophus |
Binomial name | |
Batrachostomus poliolophus Hartert, 1892 | |
The Sumatran frogmouth (Batrachostomus poliolophus), also known as the short-tailed frogmouth and the pale-faced frogmouth, is a nocturnal bird belonging to the family Podargidae. It is endemic to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. [2]
B. poliolophus has a large, arched bill with a light-brown to straw-yellow color. Its face is adorned with bristles, mainly on the forehead and ear coverts. [3] It can be distinguished from other frogmouths by its tail, which is considerably shorter than its wings. [4] It is sexually dimorphic. Males are mostly a dull dark brown with some black speckling and have a collar of white to pale buff feathers. Their underside is a lighter brown with black bars. A pattern of cream-buff spots covers the throat, sometimes extending to the breast and belly. The plumage of females is mainly rufous-brown with faint black barring. Unlike the males, the underside is generally of a similar color to the wings. The greater coverts and the upper breast sometimes exhibit white spots. The colar is variable, but generally similar to that of males. [3]
This species is one of twelve others in its genus. The genus Batrachostomus is one of the three in the frogmouth family (Podargidae). The genus name is derived from the Greek for frog (batrakhos) and mouth (stoma). Poliolophus is Greek for “grey crest”. [5]
The Bornean frogmouth was once considered to be a subspecies of B. poliolophus. [3]
This species is native to the Barisan mountains of the island of Sumatra. [2] It is known to inhabit lowland and montane tropical forests with elevations ranging from 600 to 1200 meters. [3]
Due to the rarity and nocturnal nature of this species, very few observations of its behavior have been published.
The vocalization of this species has been described as an undulating whistling accompanied by 5–7 notes (“wa”) with a descending pitch. Other calls include repeated and wavering “weeeow” notes, as well as a repeated, high pitched whistle sound (“tsiutsiu”). [3] Some sources describe these vocalizations as having a wheezing or asthmatic quality. [4]
This species is known to feed on insects such as crickets and small beetles. [3]
The nest of B. poliolophus is described in one account as being very small relative to the size of the adult bird. The main material used in the construction of nests was parental down, as well as organic matter such as lichen or moss. The clutch consisted of a single, white egg of an oval shape. [3] This species has a generation time of 7.5 years. [2]
The Sumatran frogmouth is listed as Near Threatened according to the IUCN. Though the global population has not yet been measured, it is suspected to be declining at a moderate rate. The main threat to this species is habitat loss caused by the deforestation of lowland forests on Sumatra. This is less of an issue in the higher-elevation montane forests that make up a part of its habitat. [2]
The Sri Lanka frogmouth, Sri Lankan frogmouth or Ceylon frogmouth is a small frogmouth found in the Western Ghats of south India and Sri Lanka. Related to the nightjars, it is nocturnal and is found in forest habitats. The plumage coloration resembles that of dried leaves and the bird roosts quietly on branches, making it difficult to see. Each has a favourite roost that it uses regularly unless disturbed. It has a distinctive call that is usually heard at dawn and dusk. The sexes differ slightly in plumage.
Batrachostomus is a genus of frogmouths. The generic name is a direct translation from the Greek for 'frogmouth'; batracho-/βατραχο- 'frog' and stoma-/στομα 'mouth'. It includes the following species:
The Sumatran ground cuckoo is a large, terrestrial species of cuckoo. It was introduced to Western science in 1879 and was formerly considered conspecific with the Bornean ground cuckoo but was given status as a unique species in 2000. This elusive species was initially known from just eight specimens and evaded notice from 1916 until 1997, when it was rediscovered and photographed by Andjar Rafiastanto. The Sumatran ground cuckoo's diet is thought to consist of invertebrates, small mammals, and reptiles.
The Philippine frogmouth is a nocturnal bird that can be found throughout the Philippine archipelago. It is common in lowland forests and maturing second growth. There is little information about the bird. It feeds on grasshoppers, cicadas, crickets and beetles.
The chestnut-necklaced partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in forests in the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. It is threatened by habitat loss and trapping. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as vulnerable.
The tropical boubou or bell shrike is a medium-sized passerine bird of sub-Saharan Africa. This very diverse "species" with its numerous subspecies and morphs has since long posed a taxonomic problem, and recent research suggests it is a cryptic species complex that has now been split into several species.
Bates's nightjar or the forest nightjar, is a bird species of the family Caprimulgidae, found in the rainforests of western Sub-Saharan Africa.
The lesser ground cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the tribe Neomorphini of subfamily Crotophaginae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Blyth’s frogmouth is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It was previously considered to be conspecific with the Javan frogmouth and Palawan frogmouth. The bird is a tropical species that ranges from India to Australia.
The large frogmouth is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. Logging of its habitat poses a risk to its survival, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as being "near-threatened".
The Sunda frogmouth is a species of bird, typically placed in the family Podargidae.
The Dulit frogmouth is a little-known species of bird in the frogmouth family, Podargidae, with a patchily recorded distribution in the mountain forests of northern and central Borneo to which it is endemic. The species is monotypic.
Hodgson's frogmouth is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The Javan frogmouth, sometimes known as Horsfield's frogmouth, is a species of bird in the family Podargidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Blyth's and Palawan frogmouths. Found in Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines, it lives in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.
The Bornean frogmouth is bird species in the family Podargidae. Some taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies of the short-tailed frogmouth, but others consider it to be a distinct species. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia and is endemic to the island of Borneo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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).
The marbled frogmouth is a bird in the family Podargidae. The species was first described by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830. It is found in the Aru Islands, New Guinea and Queensland. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The eared pitta is a species of bird in the pitta family, Pittidae, and is found in Southeast Asia.
The spectacled prickletail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The brown-winged whistling thrush, also known as the Sumatran whistling thrush or chestnut-winged whistling thrush, is a passerine bird belonging to the whistling thrush genus Myophonus in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. In the past, it has often been lumped together with the Javan whistling thrush and Bornean whistling thrush as the "Sunda whistling thrush" but it is now often regarded as a separate species based on differences in plumage and measurements.