Sri Lanka Frogmouth

Found only in the wet forests of Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of south-west India, this bird is about 23 centimetres long. When approached, it slowly lifts its bill skywards and narrows its eyes until it resembles a snapped-off stub of wood. Pairs often roost pressed side by side.

• Sri Lanka Frogmouths are closely tied to dense wet forests and shaded roosting branches.
• Their food is mainly moths, beetles, and night-flying insects.
• Major pressures include snakes, raptors, civets, and nest predators.
• Birds are heard far more often than they are seen, giving loud, harsh calls in the hours after dusk.

Hunts at dusk and through the night. By day it sleeps on a low branch in dense understorey, a few metres above ground, and often returns to the same roost for long periods.

Habitat: rainforest understory and dense evergreen woodland

Native range: India and Sri Lanka

They feed on moths, beetles, and night-flying insects.

Hunts at dusk and through the night. By day it sleeps on a low branch in dense understorey, a few metres above ground, and often returns to the same roost for long periods.

No lifespan has been measured for this species. It is likely to live for several years, but there are no ringing or captive records to give a figure.

A single white egg is laid on a small pad of down, moss and lichen fixed to a bare horizontal branch. The male is reported to sit by day, with the female taking over at night. In southern India breeding falls mainly between January and April.

Females are often more rufous than males.

Rarity: Rare · 76/100. Sri Lanka Frogmouth is never easy to find and becomes less secure when rainforest understory and dense evergreen woodland is reduced or broken apart.

• Keep distance and let the animal choose the space.
• Avoid blocking movement routes, nesting areas, or feeding behavior.
• Use optics, patience, and quiet observation instead of crowding for a closer view.