Sri Lanka frogmouth

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox The Sri Lanka frogmouth, Sri Lankan frogmouth or Ceylon frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger) 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.

Description

This bird reaches Template:Convert in length. Like all frogmouths, this species has a wide and hooked bill with slit-like nostrils and the large head with eyes facing forward to provide a wide field of binocular vision. Compared to others of its genus it has small wings, which are distinguished by the wing coverts ending in black spots tipped with white.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The male is gray-brown with fine barring and a spotted crown. Some males are browner and look more similar to females. The female is more rufous or chestnut brown. Indian female birds have very fine black speckles on the crown but Sri Lankan females may lack or may have reduced markings.<ref name=pcr>Template:Cite book</ref> The bird also has short, stiff bristles in front of and surrounding the eyes. The Western Ghats population, ssp. roonwali (named after Mithan Lal Roonwal), looks very slightly different. The male has a brownish-gray wing mirror and yellowish spots on the undersides, compared to gray or white in the nominate Sri Lankan form. The female has a bright reddish-brown wing mirror and the wings are unspotted below.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Habitat and distribution

This species is found in the Western Ghats of southwest India and Sri Lanka. Its habitat is tropical forest, usually with dense undergrowth.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> It can sometimes be found in more disturbed habitats, including plantations.<ref>Kannan, R. (1993). Recent sightings of the Ceylon Frogmouth, Batrachostomus moniliger, in India. Bulletin of the Oriental Bird Club 17, May 1993.</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Its presence may be overlooked due to its nocturnal behaviour and camouflage.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Behaviour

This frogmouth is rarely seen during the day except at roost sites or when flushed. It regularly uses the same roost spot for months.<ref name=kannan>Template:Cite journal</ref> When alarmed at its perch, it slowly moves its head, pointing its bill upward, and it can easily be mistaken for a jagged, broken branch. It relies on this crypsis and will often sit still a long time before making an escape.<ref name=nest/> It may open its mouth wide in a threat display.<ref name=kannan/> Like its congeners, it feeds on insects, catching them in flight or gleaning them from the ground or tree branches.<ref name=pcr/> It is sometimes mobbed at its day roost by small songbirds.<ref name=pcr/> It is vocal at dusk, the call of the female being a loud, screechy "shkeerauuw" which drops in volume and ends is a series of hiccups. Another call is a series of rapid "skwar-skwar-skwar" which is produced by both male and female.<ref name=pcr/>

The breeding season in southern India is January to April, and in Sri Lanka February to March. The nest is a small pad made of moss lined with down and covered on the outside with lichens and bark. The bird incubates a single white egg, covering the nest and holding the tail flush with the tree, taking on the outline of a lichen-covered snag. The male often broods during the day, while both parents share the duty during the night.<ref name=nest>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=hbk>Template:Cite book</ref> After the chick fledges, the male destroys the nest. The parents often use the same branch for multiple nestings.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The juvenile may stay with the parents for a couple of months, huddling between them at the roost.<ref name=kannan/>

B. m. moniliger female on nest, Gal Oya, Sri Lanka
B. m. roonwali on a nest with a recently hatched chick
B. m. roonwali young bird (middle) with adult female to left and male to right
B. m. roonwali at Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, India