World

Australia: White-Lipped Tree Frog Captures Sunbird Mid-Flight in Townsville

Herz — World Desk · 15 July 2026 at 04:16 · 30s summary · 2 min read

The essentials

In Townsville, Australia, a white-lipped tree frog—Australia's largest frog species—captured and swallowed a sunbird mid-flight. Brigitte Szabo, a resident of the city, photographed the scene from her garden while watering plants, according to ABC News Australia. Jodi Rowley, a curator at the Australian Museum, explains that large tree frog species attempt to swallow anything that moves when hungry. Four hours after the hunt, the frog appeared 'fat and satisfied.' A second Townsville resident reported a similar encounter with a green tree frog.

A white-lipped tree frog caught and ate a sunbird mid-flight in Townsville's suburban garden.
Brigitte Szabo captured the hunting scene on camera while watering her garden plants.
Large tree frog species attempt to swallow anything within reach when hungry, according to experts.
Digestion of large prey takes considerable time in cold-blooded animals like frogs.
Another Townsville resident observed a green tree frog with a diamond dove in its mouth.

Australie : une rainette à lèvres blanches capture un souimanga en plein vol à Townsville — Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

What we know

Brigitte Szabo, a resident of Townsville, Australia, was watering her garden when a white-lipped tree frog (Litoria infrafrenata) launched itself into the air to catch a sunbird mid-flight. She photographed the frog swallowing the bird, according to ABC News Australia.

The white-lipped tree frog is Australia's largest frog species. It is endemic to the northern and far-northern regions of Queensland.

Four hours after the hunt, Szabo observed that the frog appeared 'fat and satisfied.'

Another Townsville resident, Keeliah O'Keefe, also spotted a green tree frog holding a diamond dove in its mouth on her veranda. She dislodged the bird by flicking the frog away.

What biologists explain

Jodi Rowley, curator of amphibian and reptile conservation at the Australian Museum, emphasizes that most frogs do not eat birds. However, large species like the green tree frog and white-lipped tree frog attempt to swallow anything that moves within reach when hungry—Rowley calls them 'garbage guts.'

garbage guts
— Jodi Rowley, curator of amphibian and reptile conservation at the Australian Museum

Because frogs are cold-blooded animals, digesting large prey—such as a bird or snake—requires considerable time. The animal concentrates its energy and blood flow on digestion. Sometimes a frog captures prey that is too large and must eventually regurgitate it.

The olive-backed sunbird, the species caught by the tree frog, measures 10 to 12 centimetres long. It builds elaborate suspended nests made from spider webs and vegetation.

Citizen science and frog monitoring

Jodi Rowley encourages the public to contribute to frog knowledge, as many species face extinction threats. Observations can be submitted to iNaturalist—a citizen science project and online social network that enables mapping and sharing of biodiversity observations worldwide. Mating call recordings can be submitted through FrogID, an app dedicated to collecting acoustic data on frogs.

Frequently asked questions

Why do some frogs eat birds?

Large species like the white-lipped tree frog attempt to swallow anything that moves within reach when hungry, according to Jodi Rowley of the Australian Museum. This opportunistic behavior can lead them to capture unusual prey such as birds or snakes.

What happens if a frog captures prey that is too large?