The scrubfowl are mound-builders (stocky, medium-large chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet in the family Megapodiidae) in the genus Megapodius. They are found from Southeast Asia to northern Australia and islands in the west Pacific.

They do not incubate their eggs with their body heat in the orthodox way, but bury them. They are best known for building a massive mound of decaying vegetation, which the male attends, adding or removing litter to regulate the internal heat while the eggs hatch.

Taxonomy

The genus Megapodius was introduced in 1823 by the French naturalist Joseph Gaimard. He listed several species in his new genus but in 1840 the English naturalist Prideaux John Selby designated the type species as Megapodius freycinet, the dusky megapode. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek μεγας (megas), μεγαλη (megalē) meaning "big" with πους (pous), ποδος (podos) meaning "foot".

The genus contains 12 species:Two extinct species have been described from sub-fossil remains:

• †Megapodius molistructor (Pile-builder scrubfowl)

• †Megapodius amissus (Viti Levu scrubfowl)

In all of the above, the name "scrubfowl" is sometimes exchanged with "megapode". Traditionally, most have been listed as subspecies of M. freycinet, but today all major authorities consider this incorrect. Nevertheless, there are unresolved issues within the genus, and for example the taxon forstenii has been considered a subspecies of M. freycinet, a subspecies of M. cumingii, or a monotypic species. An additional species, the Moluccan megapode, has sometimes been placed in Megapodius, but today most place it in the genus Eulipoa instead. The maleo is also associated with these genera, and together the three form a group.

References

External links

• Mound-builders videos on the Internet Bird Collection