- Megapodius reinwardt
Other Names Junglefowl
Identification
- Dark grey
- Small Head
- Orange legs
- Crest at the back of the head.
Similar Species
Australian Brushturkey, which has bare red head and neck and a vertical fanned tail
Distribution
Asia: Indonesia: Lesser Sundas Sulawesi (Tukangbesi islands), Moluccas (Banda islands, Kai, Aru islands)
Australasia: Papua New Guinea, Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, northern Western Australia, Melanesia
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- M. r. reinwardt:
- Lesser Sundas, south-eastern Moluccas, Aru Island, south and south-eastern New Guinea
- M. r. macgillivrayi:
- D'Entrecasteaux Islands and Louisiade Archipelago
- M. r. tumulus:
- Northern Australia
- M. r. yorki:
- North-eastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula and adjacent islands)
- M. r. castanonotus:
- East-central Queensland (Cooktown to Yeppoon and offshore islands)
Habitat
Photo by Valéry Schollaert
Mbeliling Raw, Flores, Indonesia, early June 2020
This image comes from Birdforum thread https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=4017675#post4017675 . In the same thread is the story of the bird being released after photo was taken.
Scrub, rainforest, foreshores and city parks
Behaviour
- Pairs or Parties
- Perches in trees
- Active, Noisy at Dawn and at Night
- When disturbed Runs quickly or flies to low branch.
- Sits motionless with outstretched neck.
Diet
Diet includes seeds, fallen fruit and terrestrial invertebrates.
Breeding
The nest is a large mound formed from sand and decomposing vegetable matter. The eggs are laid when the mount reaches a temperature of around 30-35 degrees C.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Orange-footed Scrubfowl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Orange-footed_Scrubfowl
External Links
Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
Search the Gallery using the common name:
Search the Gallery for Orange-footed Scrubfowl videos:
