Hodgson’s Frogmouth     Batrachostomus hodgsoni

Etymology:

• Batrachostomus : Greek word batrakhos- frog; stoma –mouth  [ frog mouth}

• Hodgsoni : Named after Englishman Brian Houghton Hodgson (1800–1894) 

Vernacular Names:  Mani: Sumbong

Distribution in India: Resident of Eastern Himalayas & hills of  North east India .

Description: Size of 22–27 cm; Weight of 51 g. It is a small Batrachostomus with well-marked sexual dichromatism, but little variation in coloration of adult of either sex. The male is rufous-brown above, heavily marked with black, with white spots on scapulars and upper mantle, forming a collar; black, white and rufous pattern below. The female more rufous and with fewer pale spots. The juvenile has soft-textured plumage and differs from adult in coloration, with most of upperparts light rufous, evenly barred with blackish-brown, underparts mainly light buff with narrow dark barring, and rufous tinge on sides of breast.

Habitat: It is found in subtropical evergreen forest on hills and lower montane slopes. It is found at 300–1900 m elevation.

Food habits: It eats moths, beetles and other large insects. The food is hawked in air or taken on ground or from branches.

Breeding habits: They breed in Apr–Jul in North East Indian region. The nest is a small, neat pad composed mainly of the birds’ down, placed on bare or nearly bare horizontal branch. The lay of 1-2 eggs. The male incubates during daytime, female in evening twilight and for 1–2 hours before dawn.