In General

Also known as the Brush Turkey or Bush Turkey and well known for its nest building antics. The male bird constructs a communal nest by scratching together soil and vegetation into a pile that can measure 4 metres across by 1.5 metres tall.

Often despised by gardners as the male is not choosy when it comes to nest building locations and gardens and their contents are often used in the process.

Diet

Insects, seeds and fruit.

Habitat

Rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest, also known to inhabit drier areas of forest.

Breeding

The communal nest mound built by the male will incubate the eggs of several females. Eggs are laid between September and March, with a clutch consisting of between 16 and 24 eggs. The male either adds or removes vegetation from the mound to regulate the internal temperature which he tests by sticking his beak inside.

Temperature is mantained between 33°C (91.4°F) and 35°C (95° F). Chicks hatch after 49 days and are fully feathered, can fly within a few hours of hatching and are completely independent.

Conservation status

Secure