Sula megapode facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sula megapode |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Megapodiidae |
| Genus: | Megapodius |
| Species: |
M. bernsteinii
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| Binomial name | |
| Megapodius bernsteinii Schlegel, 1866
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The Sula megapode or Sula scrubfowl (Megapodius bernsteinii) is a special type of bird. It belongs to a family of birds called Megapodiidae, known for building large mounds to incubate their eggs.
This bird lives only on the Banggai and Sula Islands in Indonesia. These islands are located between Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands. The Sula megapode makes its home in different kinds of forests, including dry forests, moist lowland forests, and even mangrove forests. It also lives in moist shrublands. Sadly, its home is shrinking because of habitat destruction.
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What Does It Look Like?
The Sula scrubfowl is a medium-sized bird that lives on the ground. It grows to be about 30 to 35 centimeters (12 to 14 inches) long. Both male and female birds look very similar. They are a uniform reddish-brown color. They also have a short, pointed crest on their heads and long, red or orange-red legs and feet.
Where Does It Live?
This bird is found only on the Banggai and Sula Islands. These are groups of islands located in Indonesia, between Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands.
The Sula megapode likes to live in lowland forests. You can also find it in thick bushes near forests and even in farmland. It lives at heights of up to 450 meters (1,476 feet) above sea level.
How It Lives and Reproduces
Sula megapodes usually look for food in pairs. But sometimes, a group of five birds has been seen feeding together. This might be a parent pair with their young. They mostly eat roots and small creatures without backbones, like earthworms.
Scientists didn't know much about how these birds laid their eggs, so a study was done in 1991. They found nine birds near their study area. These birds made a lot of noise, often singing together in duets or choruses. All the birds would join in at the same time. They called out mostly in the mornings, which showed they were close to their nests.
The nest they studied was a cone-shaped mound. It was built in a field that used to be farmed, near some bushes and forest parts. The birds built it over two rotting logs using sand and clay. The female bird lays her eggs inside this mound and then covers them with soil.
During the study, a bird (or sometimes two) would come to the mound almost every day. They would rake the surface with their claws. The bird would face downhill and scratch the soil with one foot, then the other. One bird was seen doing this for almost two hours! Another bird could sometimes be heard nearby in the bushes. The bird scratching the mound was very careful. It would freeze if it heard unexpected noises and would look around. It also reacted to the warning calls of other birds, like the blue-backed parrot and the spangled drongo. Sometimes, Monitor lizards would try to raid the nest, usually after an adult bird had been raking. But they didn't have much success while the researchers were watching.
Why It Needs Our Help
The Sula megapode is facing several dangers, and its total population is getting smaller. Its natural forest home is being cut down for wood or turned into farms. People also hunt these birds and collect their eggs for food. On top of that, wild cats and dogs hunt the birds and their young.
The total area where these birds live is only about 4,500 square kilometers (1,700 square miles). Because of these threats, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the Sula megapode as a "vulnerable" species. This means it is at high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.
 | Anna J. Cooper |
 | Mary McLeod Bethune |
 | Lillie Mae Bradford |
