#malleefowl

[sitting-on-me-bum]

The malleefowl is an endangered species of megapode found in Australia.

Source: AAP / Rights Managed/Mary Evans

[herpsandbirds]

May I please request a post of Malleefowl, the amazing Australian ground bird that uses dinosaur-like temperature controlled incubator mounds

Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata, family Megapodiidae, order Galliformes, Australia

The male constructs large nesting mounds or soil and decaying plant material, where the female lays eggs in a nest chamber dug by the male. The male guards the mound, but neither parent provides parental care once the chicks hatch.

Found at the edge of scrub habitat in southern Australia.

photograph by JJ Harrison

photograph by Chris Murray

photograph by Peter Dunstan

photograph by Roksana & Terry

[dougdimmadodo]

Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata)

Family: Megapode Family (Megapodiidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Found mainly in the dry scrublands of western Australia the Malleefowl is notable for being one of the only birds in which adults neither care for their chicks nor offload the burden of parental care on another species through brood parasitism; female Malleefowl lay their eggs in elaborate sandy mounds created by males, and while males may briefly linger to protect these mounds from predators and rivals they will have left long before their chicks have hatched. Without the protection of the parents Malleefowl chicks must grow up quickly, and after a lengthy incubation period of up to 8 weeks the chicks emerge from their eggs with a full coat of feathers and surprisingly powerful legs and wings that allow them to run within just hours of hatching and fly within days. Malleefowl nest mounds may be up to a meter tall and consist of a hole filled with rotting vegetation which males will deliberately expose to rain before covering it with a layer of sand; females lay their eggs in the vegetation layer, and as the damp vegetation around them ferments under the sand the eggs are sealed within a hot, humid and relatively safe environment as they develop - essentially, a low-tech all-natural incubator!

--------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

[syncarida]

Appropriately a few hundred meters from 'malleefowl campground'

[vintagewildlife]

Malleefowl By: David Corke From: The Fascinating Secrets of Oceans & Islands 1972

[todaysbird]

the malleefowl is an intricately patterned ground-dwelling bird approximately the size of a domestic chicken (both birds are in the order galliformes). this bird is native to australia, and though it is active during the day, it is rarely seen due to its complex camouflage, tendency to freeze when spotted, and small range (which has been reduced by habitat loss). these birds are incredibly solitary and, while pairs often mate for life, they rarely interact outside of mating or territory disputes. malleefowl are mound-nesting birds that build an above ground mound (approximately two feet tall) to incubate their eggs in; the internal temperature is regulated by adding sand or soil. chicks hatch one by one, rarely on the same day (incubation can have a wide range of 50-100 days), and are fully independent from the day they hatch.

[vintagewildlife]

Malleefowl chick By: Bruce Coleman, Ltd. From: The Complete Encyclopedia of the Animal World 1980

[squawkoverflow]

A new variant has been added!

Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) © Kym Nicolson

It hatches from arid, endemic, heavy, open, scarce, and short eggs.

squawkoverflow - the ultimate bird collecting game          🥚 hatch    ❤️ collect     🤝 connect