#megapodes

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Sea turtles are famous for the perilous way they start their lives, but they're not the only ones that face peril from day one. Australian bushturkey chicks have to dig themselves out of their nest, which is usually 1-1.5 m (3.2-4.9 ft) deep, and are capable of flight only a few hours after emerging! This is an important skill to pick up quick, as most predators find the idea of a defenseless baby bird too good an opportunity to pass up; only 1 in every 200 eggs laid survives to adulthood.

(Image: A tasty snack Australian bushturkey chick (Alectura lathami) by Dr. John Martin)

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[antiqueanimals]

Illustrated Sketches of Natural History: Consisting of Descriptions and Engravings of Animals. Second Series. 1864.

Internet Archive

[zsl-edge-of-existence]

Maleos may not provide much parenting to their chicks, but their chicks need very little!  After two to three months underground, the maleo chick will kick and claw its way out of its egg.  From there, it will dig through up to a meter of hot sand up to the surface, and is instantly ready to run or fly (yes, these birds can fly almost immediately after hatching) to the safety of the forest.  The chicks are also amazingly tough; Matt Leggett, a maleo conservationist, says, “The first chick I saw hatch took to the air but landed in a river, where it swam 10 meters [33 feet] through sizable rapids, climbed up the opposite bank, then flew off again.”

[eartharchives]

Ancient bird like 'a kangaroo-sized flying turkey'

New details on an early megapode bird that lived alongside Australia's extinct giant marsupials.

[antiqueanimals]

Megapodes from Builders in the Wild. Written by Igor Akimushkin. Illustrated by A. Keleinikov. 1982.

[zsl-edge-of-existence]

The maleo is a large, Indonesian bird about the size of a chicken.  A rather bizarre-looking bird, their facial skin is bald and bright yellow, their beak is orange, and their heads sport a round, helmet-like casque.  Living exclusively on the island of Sulawesi, these birds live in lowland hills or rainforests, and nest on river banks, lake shores, and beaches.

[zsl-edge-of-existence]

A large part of the reason behind the maleo’s decline is the bird’s eggs.  Although the maleo is only about the size of a chicken, their eggs are five times larger than those of a hen (see a size comparison between a hen’s egg and a maleo’s egg in the third image).  These eggs have very large yolks and are rich in flavour, making them a treasured delicacy.  Once the eggs were prized by natives as a food source, but now the eggs command high prices at market.  They are often given as high-status gifts, or purchased as a gourmet food along the same lines as caviar.

[tigerjeff]