This Is NOT an Owl (And That's What Makes Gumnut So Special) 🦅

Meet Gumnut. 🦅 Most people who see a tawny frogmouth think they're looking at an owl. Understandable, but wrong. Tawny frogmouths aren't owls at all. They don't have talons. They've got these wide, frog-like mouths that can basically swallow whatever fits inside them. And they eat centipedes. Which, if you've ever been bitten by one, makes them either very brave or very weird. Probably both. Gumnut came in as a tiny fluffy ball of white feathers, looked like he belonged up in the Alps. We assumed he'd been blown from his nest. But since moving him into the transition aviary, I've noticed some neurological symptoms. Here's something most people don't know. When a baby bird is unwell, the mother will sometimes push them from the nest. So it's possible Gumnut wasn't blown out at all. Maybe mum already knew something was wrong. Only time will tell. What I can tell you is I've started him on extra supplements and medications and I am seeing improvements. Small ones, but in this work small ones matter. So we keep going. And today that means solving a different problem. Right now we still hand-feed him, which is fine, but I'm fairly confident there aren't many chicken hearts floating around in the wild. Tawny frogmouths are nocturnal hunters. Moths, beetles, bugs and centipedes, which he is very welcome to. So we're setting up solar lights in the transition cage, a motion-activated LED and a few UV bug zappers, to attract insects at night so Gumnut can start learning to hunt on his own. The mesh on this cage is big enough for insects to travel through. That's the whole point of a transition aviary. Get him used to what the real world is going to feel like before we open that gate. He's a fighter. We're not giving up on him. 🙏 👉 Support the wildlife mission: lnk.bio/thewombatguy 👕 Grab some merch: onyaapparel.shop 🕐 CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Gumnut, not an owl 00:14 Why tawny frogmouths end up in care 01:04 Gumnut's journey to the transition cage 01:30 Neurological symptoms and what they might mean 01:47 Supplements, medications and small improvements 02:28 The problem with feeding him chicken 02:54 What tawny frogmouths actually eat (centipedes 😳) 03:40 Installing the motion-activated LED 04:34 Planning the mount and bracket 06:09 Building the bracket, improvise improvise 08:45 Installing the lights 11:16 Reading the instruction manual 😅 13:26 Installing the UV bug zappers 14:52 Night reveal, lights on, bugs incoming 15:32 Gumnut is looking good, happy hunting Righto legends, this video introduces the tawny frogmouth, clarifying it belongs to the frogmouth family, not owls, due to its feet structure. We share some interesting bird facts about these unique Australian birds, highlighting their poor nest-building skills. It's an educational video offering a glimpse into the fascinating wildlife around us. 🦉 Music 🎶 "Newer Wave" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...