Melanesian megapode facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melanesian megapode |
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| Conservation status | |
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Megapodius
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| Species: |
eremita
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The Melanesian scrubfowl or Melanesian megapode (Megapodius eremita) is a special type of bird called a megapode. It lives only on islands in a region called Melanesia. This bird has a very unique way of hatching its eggs. Instead of sitting on them, it uses heat from the environment, like the sun or volcanoes! The Melanesian scrubfowl is also very important to the local people in Melanesia.
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About the Melanesian Scrubfowl
People often call this bird by two names: the Melanesian scrubfowl or the Melanesian megapode. It belongs to a bird family called Megapodiidae, which are all megapodes. Within this family, it's part of a group called Megapodius, which are the scrubfowls. Some experts prefer the name "scrubfowl" because it shows which specific group the bird belongs to.
A scientist named Hartlaub first described this bird in 1868. For a while, some thought it was just a type of Dusky scrubfowl. But now, scientists agree that the Melanesian scrubfowl is its own unique species. There are 13 different scrubfowl species in total. Even though its look can change a bit across different islands, it's considered one single species.
Scientists have studied how megapode species are related. They found that all Megapodius species are very close relatives. The Melanesian scrubfowl is one of the most recently developed scrubfowl groups. It is closely related to the New Guinea scrubfowl and the Dusky scrubfowl. These birds spread out and settled on different islands in Australasia over the last two million years. Sometimes, the Melanesian scrubfowl can even have babies with the New Guinea scrubfowl where their homes meet.
What Does the Melanesian Scrubfowl Look Like?
Like other megapodes, the Melanesian scrubfowl has a strong, sturdy body. It has very large feet and round wings. These birds also have very short tails, which makes them look unique when you see their shape. Adult Melanesian scrubfowl are about 34 to 39 centimeters long. They also have a short crest on their head.
These birds change their feathers three times in their life. First, they have juvenile feathers as chicks. Then, they get immature feathers, and finally, adult feathers. Adult birds have a brown back and dark grey head, neck, and belly. Their legs can be brown, grey, or olive. They have red patches of bare skin on their face, especially on their forehead. The tip of their beak is yellow. It's hard to tell males and females apart just by looking at them. Females might have lighter legs and a brighter brown color.
Baby Melanesian scrubfowl chicks are dark brown with lighter undersides. They have clear stripes on their upper bodies and already have flight feathers. Megapode chicks are quite large compared to their parents. One chick was seen to be 11 centimeters long! The immature birds look a lot like adults but often have darker colors. Melanesian scrubfowl living in the eastern parts of their range tend to be lighter and more reddish-brown.
It's usually easy to tell the Melanesian scrubfowl apart from other birds in its area. You can look at its feather patterns and face colors. Its sturdy shape, short tail, and short head crest are also good clues. When flying, their legs trail behind them, which helps identify them. If you see it with the New Guinea scrubfowl, the Melanesian scrubfowl has a shorter crest and a bare forehead. The New Guinea scrubfowl has a longer, pointier crest and feathers on its forehead.
Where Do These Birds Live?
All megapodes live in the Australasia region. The Melanesian scrubfowl lives on islands in the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands. You can find them on both small and large islands. They are quite common, though their numbers can vary in different places.
The Melanesian scrubfowl uses different types of places for breeding and for finding food. For laying eggs, they need special breeding grounds. These places must have soil that can be heated by the environment. They often use sandy beaches warmed by the sun. They also use geothermal sites, which are places heated by the Earth's inner warmth, like near volcanoes. Sometimes, they use soil with decaying plants, which creates heat. For finding food, they prefer lowland rainforests. These forests have large trees, open spaces underneath, a thick layer of dead leaves on the ground, and deep soil.
In some areas, these birds move between different habitats depending on the season. For example, in West New Britain, they use breeding grounds on the north coast during the dry season. This is from late March to December. They avoid these areas during the rainy season because they get flooded.
How Do Melanesian Scrubfowl Live?
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Scientists think that Melanesian scrubfowl usually stay with one partner for life. However, not much is known about their social lives.
Megapodes are famous for their unique way of nesting. They lay their eggs in mounds or burrows. The eggs are heated by the environment, not by the parent bird's body. The Melanesian scrubfowl's nesting habits change a lot depending on where they live. They might use burrows or mounds. They rely on heat from decaying plants, volcanoes, or the sun. Not much is known about their mound-nesting. However, their burrowing activities have been studied more.
When they build mounds, Melanesian scrubfowl create large, volcano-shaped piles of soil or sand and leaves. For other megapodes, the heat in these mounds mostly comes from decaying plants. Sometimes, the sun also helps. One or both parents often tend the mound, adding more plant material regularly.
For burrow-nesting, the birds choose spots that are already heated. This heat can come from geothermal energy, the sun, or decaying tree roots. Melanesian scrubfowl only visit these spots to lay their eggs. The female likely digs the burrow by herself. The birds don't need to tend the burrows and probably don't defend them. The burrows that have been studied are about 20 to 90 centimeters wide. Eggs are laid in layers, 30 to 90 centimeters deep. The soil around the eggs stays warm and steady, for example, around 36 to 37 degrees Celsius.
Sometimes, M. eremita nests alone, like in forests at the base of trees. Other times, they nest in large groups, especially at geothermal sites. On Lou Island, Melanesian scrubfowl dig hundreds of burrows in volcanically heated soil. The biggest group nesting sites are at Pokili and Garu in West New Britain. In the 1970s, thousands of birds were seen nesting there. They dug about 10,000 burrows at each site. In these group nesting areas, burrows are dug very close together, often less than a meter apart. Scientists are still not sure if Melanesian scrubfowl share burrows or lay eggs in many different burrows.
Female Melanesian scrubfowl lay about 10 to 30 eggs each year. There are usually two to 15 days between each egg. In some places, they lay eggs all year round. In other places, it's seasonal. For example, in West New Britain, they lay eggs only during the dry season. On Savo Island, they seem to lay eggs all year. On Simbo Island, they lay more eggs from June to December.
Melanesian scrubfowl lay very large eggs with a lot of yolk. The yolk can be as much as 65-69% of the egg! This is much more than in other birds. Their eggs are made to survive underground. For example, their thin eggshells help them get enough air. Incubation, or the time it takes for the egg to hatch, lasts between six and ten weeks. Chicks don't have an "egg tooth" to break out. Instead, they use their strong legs to crack the egg and dig their way to the surface. Because of the large yolk and long incubation, megapode chicks are "superprecocial." This means they are very developed when they hatch. They never meet their parents and can run, find food, and even fly short distances as soon as they come out of the ground!
Diet and Foraging
The Melanesian scrubfowl eats both plants and small animals. It feeds on fruits, seeds, and small creatures like insects, snails, and earthworms. Many birds might nest in one small area. When they visit these sites, they might find some food. But to get enough food, they likely spread out into the surrounding rainforests after laying each egg. Producing large, yolk-rich eggs takes a lot of energy. Females need to get this energy from their diet. In their feeding areas, they look for food alone, in pairs, or in small groups. They scratch the forest floor with their big feet, searching for food in the fallen leaves. Sometimes, they even jump to pick low-hanging fruits.
Vocalisation
Melanesian scrubfowl make loud calls regularly, day and night. Males make territorial calls that last one to five seconds. These calls include honking, wailing, and grunting sounds. For example, they might sound like "kee-yah" or "ko--ko--ko." Sometimes, a pair of birds will sing a duet. One bird makes a laugh-like sound, and the other replies. These duets are thought to help partners stay together. This supports the idea that these birds are monogamous.
Movement
Unlike some other megapodes that don't fly well, Megapodius species are strong flyers. They can travel long distances by air. This ability probably helped them settle on the islands where they live now. They flap their wings slowly and powerfully, sometimes stopping to glide. Melanesian scrubfowl fly between their breeding and feeding areas. Flying also helps them spread out in the rainforests to find enough food. As mentioned, they might move short distances in response to seasonal changes, like rain patterns.
Predators
Some animals eat Melanesian scrubfowl chicks, especially those under four weeks old. These predators include mammals like dogs, birds of prey, and lizards. Other animals like lizards, snakes, dogs, and pigs can also find the noticeable nesting mounds or burrows. They dig up and eat the scrubfowl eggs.
Relationship with Humans
The Melanesian scrubfowl is very important to human cultures and economies throughout its range. People collect its eggs for food and as items to trade. Indigenous Melanesian people have lived with this scrubfowl for thousands of years. They have collected its eggs for a long time at levels that don't harm the bird's population. They have also gained a lot of traditional knowledge about the bird's behavior. In some places, people build shades over scrubfowl burrows. This marks the areas for collecting eggs and helps the birds' nesting conditions.
However, old records show that when humans first arrived in Oceania, they caused many megapode species to disappear. So, even though the Melanesian scrubfowl is currently not considered endangered, changes in human activity could affect it. For example, more people, changes in traditional ways of managing resources, and certain industries might threaten this species. While the birds might be okay with some light logging, large-scale logging that clears whole forests removes the rainforests they need for food. Scientists and Indigenous people can work together. By sharing their knowledge, they can strengthen traditional ways of managing resources. This will help make sure the Melanesian scrubfowl continues to thrive.
