Megapodes - Mound-Builders

There’s a group of birds that lay their eggs underground — in geothermally heated burrows, or warm sands, or even mounds of organic material warmed by the heat of decomposition. These megapodes or mound-builders — like this Australian Brushturkey — are found in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. The male builds a mound and adjusts the amount of material to maintain a constant temperature. After a long incubation, the eggs hatch and the chicks claw their way to the surface. They never know their parents, but emerge fully feathered and capable of flying and feeding themselves. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org . Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.