Sri Lanka Frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger)

Sri Lanka Frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger) in Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Kerala, India. February 2015. Not baited. Not called in.

This superb Sri Lanka Frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger) was for sure one of the highlights of my trip to Kerala, India. It is such an incredible bird. We spent two days at the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary and actually saw 4 in total, but this encounter was the best. The image is not cropped, the path we were walking on was less than 2 meters from the bird!

Sri Lanka Frogmouths (Batrachostomus moniliger) count on their incredible plumage to remain unseen by their predators. They usually do not fly away even if you get really close. They would move only if you touch their branch, which we did not try obviously. The name frogmouth refers to the shape of their beak.

Love Nature.
Jonathan