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Tawny Frogmouths

Subject: Tawny Frogmouths
From: "Philip Veerman" <>
Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 17:50:43 +1100
Ah yes Tony but the feet of owls are VERY different to the feet of nightjars (the frogmouth of course being of the latter group and not at all close to an owl). So a Boobook perching on the wires of a Hills hoist is unremarkable but a Frogmouth is quite another story.
 
Owls have strong zygodactyl (two toes forward & two toes backward) feet used for catching prey and nightjars don't. The feet of any ORDER of birds are generally quite different to the feet of any other ORDER of birds but this is especially so comparing owls' feet to the feet of nightjars. As in number, direction, location of attachment and form of toes, presence or absence of full or partial webbing and which toes it includes. This point is one of the many, sadly lost on the many people that like to think of Families as the major subdivisions of birds.
 
Philip
 
 
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