AVITOPIA - Megapodes

The family of Megapodes occurs in Australasia from the Nicobar Islands to the islands in the western Pacific. They reach a body length of 25 cm to 65 cm. They have large wings and a rather long tail, and their legs and feet are strong. The hind toe is - as with the Hokkos - at the same level as the front toes. Megapodes are terrestrial and omnivores. The use of natural heat sources for the incubation is remarkable. Up to 24 eggs are laid in sand or volcanic ash, or in a large pile of rotting plant material. The eggs are hatched in sand and ashes using solar or geothermal energy. In the case of plant material, it is the heat created by the rot and the birds regulate the temperature by taking away and adding material, periodically checking the temperature with their beak. In addition, brood parasitism occurs. The chicks are superprecocial: they tunnel their way through the brood mound to the surface, are already able to fly and live independently of their parents.