Tawny Frogmouths dropping like flies on Mid North Coast – what’s happening?

A number of dead nightjars – often confused with owls – have been appearing in Port Macquarie and surrounds, many without any apparent injuries. Here’s why.

Reports of numerous Tawny Frogmouth birds, deceased in the local area, have recently arisen.

Concerned locals have taken to social media to compare their findings on the nightjars (often confused with owls), with one person saying they saw five dead in a single morning recently.

Another Mid North Coast resident said they’ve “seen many casualties recently, echidnas too”.

Insecticides, rodent poison, water pollution and excessive rain were among the suggested causes, but local wildlife experts say starvation is to blame.

For Australian Wildlife Needing Aid (FAWNA) president Meredith Ryan says recent wet weather has led to a lack of available feed for many Aussie natives.

“Wildlife generally are not doing very well at the moment in this wet spell,” she said.

“Our birdlife consume insects, and these have often been sprayed by household or garden pesticides – but there’s not normally enough poison to cause a real problem.

“The toxins from this food are stored in the bird’s fat reserves and, when times are tough, Tawny Frogmouths start living off these reserves.

“The latest wet weather means insect populations are down, and nectar has been washed out of flowers.

“So there’s less food around and more birds are tapping in to their fat storage, causing a real toxic boost which can bring them to a horrible end of life.”

Ms Ryan says that, while FAWNA are monitoring the situation, they aren’t overly concerned yet.

“When they’re in such distress, Tawney Frogmouths let off this horrible screeching which leads rehabilitators like us to take them to the vet and put them out of their misery,” she said.

“But we haven’t been aware of any of that screeching so far, so we’re not actually alarmed but it is something we really keep an eye on – especially when people are noticing more unwell wildlife.”

FAWNA’s latest data also suggests the problem isn’t dire yet.

“From July 1 last year to last Friday, FAWNA had seen 206 Tawny Frogmouths,” Ms Ryan said.

“For the 12-month period prior to that, we had 246 – so those numbers are trending as they normally would be, and we have a very robust record keeping system so we can monitor anything unusual that’s happening.”

Anyone who comes across injured wildlife in the local area should report it to FAWNA on their 24-hour rescue hotline: [phone].

Or – for the braver animal lovers – Ms Ryan says you can help out by taking the creature to a vet.

“We would love if everyone carried a towel and a flat cardboard box in their car, so they can bundle up the injured animal and take them to a vet,” she said.

“Some people are frightened of birds but, if you can, the best thing to do is throw a cloth over the animal and place them inside something – a reusable shopping bag works great too.”