Tawny
Frogmouth
Podargus
strigoides

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Turramurra was hand-raised at
Taronga Zoo by an animal husbandry trained Senior Education Officer. In
September 1999, when Turramurra was 2-3 weeks old, he had fallen out of a
tree in a backyard in the New South Wales suburb of Turramurra, hence his
name. He was found on the ground by the home owner who noticed the mother was
in the nest of a huge tree sitting on another chick.
Turramurra
was then brought to the Wildlife Clinic at Taronga Zoo where he was hand-raised
for two months. Each night his carer would take him home with her and each
day he would live in the Education Centre Office. Turramurra was fed young dead
mice (sometimes referred to as ‘pinkies') just like the natural mother would
for her young. As he grew older he was able to eat larger food including
crickets - Turramurra had a very good appetite! Young Tawny Frogmouths look
like little balls of cotton wool, in fact, on Turramurra's medical records one Zookeeper
has written ‘incredibly cute lamington'.
As Tawny
Frogmouths are the same colour whether male or female it was hard to
tell Turramurra's sex. When Tawny Frogmouths get older it is easier to
tell as males are usually larger than females. Veterinarians sometimes
surgically sex birds that don't have obvious physical differences between the
male and female. However, it was quickly discovered that Turramurra was a boy
when he was put in an enclosure with another male Tawny Frogmouth, Tom. The two
birds did not get along, behaving as though they were competing for territory
like they would in the wild. Turramurra was then moved to a new home at the zoo.