34 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
notes. Also called Tawny-shouldered Frogmouth, Tawny-shouldered 
Podargus and Mopoke. Usually singly or in pairs, frequenting forest¬ 
lands generally. It is strictly nocturnal, sleeping in an upright posi¬ 
tion throughout the day on a branch of a tree. When at rest it 
simulates the bark of the branch so well that it is often difficult to 
locate. Its call is a low booming or grunting note like “Oom”, 
repeated twenty or more times, and easily imitated by closing the 
mouth and making a grunting sound through the nose. Food: insects. 
nest. An open platform, composed of sticks loosely put together. 
Generally placed in a horizontal forked branch of a tree up to 40 
feet from the ground. 
eggs. Two or three, white and rounded. Breeding-season: August 
to December. 
11. Papuan Frogmouth Podargus papuensis Quoy and Gaimard 
papuensis—oi Papua or New Guinea. 
distribution. Northern Queensland (from Cape York to Cairns); 
also occurs in New Guinea and the Aru Islands. 
notes. Also called Large Frogmouth and Plumed Frogmouth. 
Usually singly or in pairs, frequenting open forests and scrubs. During 
the day it rests in an upright “dead-stick” attitude on a branch. At 
times it utters a weird and ghostly “laugh”—a rapid “Hoo-hoo-hoo”; it 
also has a call like the Tawny Frogmouth, a series of "Oooms”, 
uttered for long periods at night. Food: insects, chiefly beetles. 
nest. A compactly-built platform of sticks and twigs; generally 
placed in a horizontal forked branch of a tree up to 50 feet from the 
ground. 
egg.W hite and rounded. Breeding-season: September to December, 
sometimes as late as February. 
12. Boobook Owl Ninox boobook Latham 
Ni'-nox—ni , definition not known; L., nox f night: boobook—an aborig¬ 
inal name. 
distribution. Australia generally. 
notes. Also called Cuckoo Owl and Mopoke. Usually singly or in 
pairs, frequenting forests generally. During the day it roosts in a hollow 
in a tree, in the crevice of a rock, or under the thick foliage of a tree. 
At dusk it ventures forth and searches for food, which consists of 
insects, small rodents, and small birds. It utters the well-known call 
resembling “Mo-poke”, “More pork”, or “Boo-book.” 
nest. In a hollow limb or hole in a tree. 
eggs. Three or four, white and rounded. Breeding-season: September 
to December or January. 
13. Spotted Owl Ninox novce-zeelandin Gmelin 
novce-zeelandice—oi New Zealand. 
distribution. New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania; also 
occurs in New Zealand. 
