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Chambers Wildlife
Rainforest Lodges |
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AUSTRALIAN BRUSH-TURKEY · The Australian Brush-turkey is one of three megapodes in Australia. This family name refers to the robust feet of all species. ·
The nest is a large incubator mound that generates
heat through the decay of moist organic material. ·
A typical mound is a metre tall and 4-5 metres
diameter and is maintained for up to nine months
by the male each nesting season. In
prime rainforest habitat, there is about one mound per hectare.
Sites tend to be traditional but new mounds are constructed each season. ·
The mound temperature is about 33 degrees, held
constant by changes to its structure, such as opening or raking it to release
excess heat. Ventilation of the
mound probably also releases gases that may be lethal to embryos. ·
More than one female may lay in the male’s mound
so it normally produces a large number of young each season.
Brush Turkey females may lay up to three times their own weight in eggs in one
breeding season (May-February), but this varies; none may be laid in bad years.
Individual ·
Mating is entirely promiscuous, so each female also
lays in more than one mound. ·
The large egg (each weighing 180g) enables the hatching of a relatively
advanced chick. This chick claws
its way to the surface, which takes about one day.
It immediately begins to search for food, unaided by the parents. · It seems that females choose their mates according to how well they build and look after their mounds, inspecting all males in the area and observing their behaviour before making their choice. they also probe the mound to test its temperature and other properties. The owner of a good mound may find females queuing up to lay their eggs in his care. A female will usually remain with her chosen partner for 3-6 weeks, laying eggs in his mound before moving on to another male, with a fresher mound, to start again. (Source: Department of Environment) · The booming of the male Australian brush turkey - made by inflating the wattle (skin of its neck) with air - is used not only in aggressive male-to-male encounters but also to advertise the location of his mound to potentially visiting females. (Source: Environmental Protection Agency) ·
For protection, birds form roosting groups in trees
both at night and during the day. ·
Brush-turkeys eat various foods that they find in
the leaf litter, including fallen fruits. They
may become abundant and quite unwary where humans provide easy pickings.
· These birds are most common in upland rainforest, above 300m. ·
They are observed readily round Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodge
and in the nearby Lake Eacham picnic area. In such situations, aggressive rivalry between adult males is
observed frequently. |
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Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodges |
