Malleefowl

Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) are shy, ground-dwelling birds and are Australia’s largest megapodes. These fascinating birds are best known for their massive nesting mounds.

Malleefowl are about the size of a large chicken with mostly pale grey-brown plumage, barred upperparts and a black marking down the throat. Males are a little larger than the females, but they are otherwise very similar. The male booms loudly and both sexes grunt and warble. Despite their size, malleefowl are well camouflaged and rarely seen. They have strong legs for digging and scraping in soil and litter for their nesting mounds.

The males build the mounds by piling up soil and leaf litter to create a compost heap that generates heat – nature’s very own incubator! The female then lays an egg every 5 to 7 days until the end of summer – they can lay up to 30 eggs in one season!

Instead of sitting on the eggs, the male carefully monitors the mound’s temperature with his beak, and then controls it by adding or removing material. Once the chicks hatch underground (usually one at a time), they dig their way to the surface all by themselves, and from that point on, they’re totally on their own.

The malleefowl diet changes depending on the season and location. Typically, they feed on a variety of flowers, fruits, seeds, herbs, invertebrates, fungi and tubers. During breeding season, a diet high in protein and energy foods, such as Acacia seeds and lerps, is important as it increases survival chances for chicks.

Images: Tom Hunt