# Bird ID



## Stompsy (Nov 10, 2016)

Hey guys,

Got home tonight to find a bird carcass in my driveway. Looks like a pretty impressive bird and I'm planning on cleaning the skull up and keeping it. 

Just wondering if anyone can I'd it for me?



















Also, for size reference, the skull is just smaller than my fist. 

Thanks.


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## Iguana (Nov 10, 2016)

Great find! I love collecting skulls and bones from dead animals, got quite the collection myself. I'm almost certain its an owl, because of the short stout beak and huge eye sockets. My first guess was a barking owl, but they have a narrower beak. I'm think a tawny frog-mouth, just by the beak and feather coloration.


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## mattsie23 (Nov 10, 2016)

Definitely a tawny! 


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## Stompsy (Nov 10, 2016)

Well that's awesome because I have a slight obsession with owls!

I'll clean it up and post some pictures soon. 

Thanks for the responses.


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## butters (Nov 10, 2016)

Sorry but tawnys aren't owls.


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## pythoninfinite (Nov 10, 2016)

They're a bit silly sometimes, and sit on the road at night looking for insects & other small stuff, hence they suffer badly with traffic. Had to drive around one on Rollands Plains Rd tonight on the way home & had to open the door of the car to shoo it off the road. There's often one sitting on our letterbox or front gate in the evening. Related to Nightjars, Owlet Nightjars being very common around here as well.

Jamie


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## Stompsy (Nov 11, 2016)

Well it wasn't there the day before yesterday, so I'm assuming a cat dragged it there or someone threw it there. And oops! I know nothing about birds but even if it isn't an owl, I'm still going to clean it up.


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## mattsie23 (Nov 11, 2016)

Stompsy said:


> Well it wasn't there the day before yesterday, so I'm assuming a cat dragged it there or someone threw it there. And oops! I know nothing about birds but even if it isn't an owl, I'm still going to clean it up.



My mum breeds birds and reptiles in the hopes of opening up a animal sanctuary, she has a set of tawnys, they are closest you can get to an owl without it being an owl! Just a couple of weeks ago I found a baby barn owl, only had it for two days before he flew out the door and out of my life!


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## Stompsy (Nov 12, 2016)

mattsie23 said:


> My mum breeds birds and reptiles in the hopes of opening up a animal sanctuary, she has a set of tawnys, they are closest you can get to an owl without it being an owl! Just a couple of weeks ago I found a baby barn owl, only had it for two days before he flew out the door and out of my life!



My dream would be to study Zoology and work in an animal sanctuary but unfortunately, since I'm old with a teenage son, money and time are against me. 

I wish I'd done it years ago!


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## BrownHash (Nov 12, 2016)

[MENTION=17341]Stompsy[/MENTION] - Just start volunteering at local animal sanctuaries and look for brief husbandry course through tafe or even the local authorites (Parks and Wildlife). Most of the people that are working at sanctuaries arent zoologist, so its probably a bit of overkill. Once you get involved woth a sanctuary you will get a better idea of wheather or not you need to do a zoology degree.


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## Stompsy (Nov 12, 2016)

BrownHash said:


> [MENTION=17341]Stompsy[/MENTION] - Just start volunteering at local animal sanctuaries and look for brief husbandry course through tafe or even the local authorites (Parks and Wildlife). Most of the people that are working at sanctuaries arent zoologist, so its probably a bit of overkill. Once you get involved woth a sanctuary you will get a better idea of wheather or not you need to do a zoology degree.



I'd also like to do one because I'm interested! But I may look into that... I live 20 minutes from Healesville sanctuary!


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## kittycat17 (Nov 14, 2016)

Naww poor Tawny Frogmouth, yeah not an owl there actually closest to nightjars 
You can tell the difference due to beak size and talon size 
Owls have larger more powerful talons for grabbing and holding prey whilst tawny frogmouths have smaller talons and larger beaks which they use to catch bugs etc 


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