By day it rests on a branch, blending in with the tree; at night it drops to the ground to catch prey.
Its plumage is usually silver-grey with black and reddish-brown markings; a russet-red plumage form also occurs. It has yellow eyes and a broad, heavy bill.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Queensland’s official profile lists the Tawny Frogmouth as Least Concern in that state and records it in eucalypt forests, tree-lined waterways, coastal and alpine woodland, parks, and gardens outside arid regions.