Marbled frogmouth facts for kids

The marbled frogmouth (Podargus ocellatus) is a special type of bird that belongs to the Podargidae family. These birds were first described by scientists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830. You can find marbled frogmouths in places like the Aru Islands, New Guinea, and Queensland, Australia. They like to live in warm, wet forests, both in lowlands and on mountains.

Different Types of Marbled Frogmouths

There are five different kinds, or subspecies, of the marbled frogmouth.

• The ocellatus type lives in New Guinea and nearby islands.
• The intermedius type is found on the Trobriand Islands and D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Papua New Guinea.
• The meeki type lives only on Tagula Island.
• In Australia, there are two types:
  • The marmoratus type lives on the Cape York Peninsula.
  • The plumiferus type, also called the plumed frogmouth, lives in southeast Queensland.

Where They Live and What Harms Them

The plumed frogmouth, a type of marbled frogmouth, is often found in the Conondale ranges in Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Many of them live in the Conondale National Park. This bird is quite rare and is listed as vulnerable in Queensland. It lives in warm, wet rainforests and vineforests, from 50 to 800 meters above sea level.

Marbled frogmouths are very good at hiding. They usually rest in the tops of trees and are hard to spot or study. Their homes are being threatened by people clearing land and cutting down trees. Forest fires that are not managed well also cause problems. Climate change could also affect them in the future.

Scientists believe there are about 800 pairs of plumed frogmouths in the Conondale ranges. Their living area is currently just under 2,000 hectares. Some new areas might become suitable for them as logged rainforests grow back. However, these birds need untouched forests to survive. This makes them very vulnerable because their special homes are shrinking. More tree cutting in the Conondale region could also put them at risk.

Related Birds

Another bird, Rigidipenna inexpectatus, lives only on four islands in the Solomon Islands. It used to be thought of as a type of marbled frogmouth. But in 2007, scientists decided it was different enough to be in its own group, called Rigidipenna.

Images for kids

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  Subspecies plumiferus in Mount Glorious, Queensland, Australia

See also

In Spanish: Podargo ocelado para niños