But wildlife experts say the cause is more likely starvation.

Port Macquarie local Rachel Wilson found five dead nightjars (which are often confused with owls) on the side of the road one morning.

"When my partner and I were driving along Pacific Drive... we noticed a dead Tawny Frogmouth that didn't look like it had been injured, hit by a car, or anything like that," she said.

"We just thought it was a one-off, but we noticed another four in that same stretch, and... over the next week and a half we probably saw three more."

It was when Ms Wilson found one alive, but sick, that she called wildlife rescue group FAWNA.

"It was obviously quite lethargic and we had to move it off the road as it didn't want to... get out of the way.

"When I picked it up, I could feel that there was no meat on it, it was all bone, so I posted the photo on Facebook [to see] if there was someone [who] would know what was causing the birds to die."

The responses she received included theories that the birds may have eaten poisoned army worms or other vermin, or that they were waterlogged after all the recent rain.

However, FAWNA president Meredith Ryan said the birds had probably starved, although pesticides may have been a contributing factor.

Prolonged periods of rain can cause a shortage of food for local wildlife, so birds such as the Tawny Frogmouth have to rely on toxins that have been stored in their fat reserves.

"When people spray insects it doesn't necessarily kill them," Ms Ryan said.

"We can never say for certain that the cause is toxins as we can't afford to run tests on all the wildlife that come into our care.

"In our experience, if Tawny Frogmouths are sick from toxins then they're not as aware of their surroundings, meaning they might find themselves in the middle of the road or fly into cars, and it can bring a horrible end to their life."

Although FAWNA hasn't seen an increase in Tawny Frogmouth cases, the community reports are a reminder for people to be aware of the unintentional harm they can cause wildlife.

"We've had 206 Tawny Frogmouths since the first of July, and that's trending to the same figures that we had in the previous year," Ms Ryan said.

"Although we haven't noticed it as a problem at the moment, it doesn't negate the need for people to understand the unintended consequences from using harmful insecticides and pesticides.

"If you do decide to use rodenticides as a last resort, make sure you choose a natural alternative. It's also important for people to read the labels and only use the products in accordance to what those labels say.

"Not all insects are bad, all these birds require a diet of insects, so if you can keep your garden in balance, you are providing a really nice environment for insects and you're helping biodiversity.

"It's just about being conscience that we are sharing the environment with our wildlife, so we need to think about the unintentional harm that we are causing them in our day-to-day life."

Sadly, the Tawny Frogmouth that Ms Wilson discovered did not recover.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

Bookmark our website

Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters

You can support us with a subscription

Follow us on Twitter: @portmacnews

Follow us on Instagram: @portmacnews

Follow us on Google New