Scrubfowl
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The scrubfowl are the genus Megapodius of the mound-builders, stocky, medium-large chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet in the family Megapodiidae.
They do not incubate their eggs with their body heat in the orthodox way, but bury them. They are best known for building massive nest-mounds of decaying vegetation, which the male attends, adding or removing litter to regulate the internal heat while the eggs hatch. The species in taxonomic order are:
- Moluccan Scrubfowl, Megapodius wallacei
- Polynesian Scrubfowl, Megapodius pritchardii
- Micronesian Scrubfowl, Megapodius laperouse
- Nicobar Scrubfowl, Megapodius nicobariensis
- Philippine Scrubfowl, Megapodius cumingii
- Sula Scrubfowl, Megapodius bernsteinii
- Dusky Scrubfowl, Megapodius freycinet
- Melanesian Scrubfowl, Megapodius eremita
- Vanuatu Scrubfowl, Megapodius layardi
- New Guinea Scrubfowl, Megapodius affinis
- Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt
- Tanimbar Scrubfowl Megapodius tenimberensis
- Biak Scrubfowl Megapodius geelvinkianus
[edit] External links
- Mound-builders videos on the Internet Bird Collection
