brush-turkey
Australian incubator bird
A brush-turkey is a large ground-dwelling bird native to Australia and New Guinea, belonging to the megapode family.
Unlike most birds, brush-turkeys don't incubate their eggs with body heat but instead build massive mounds of decomposing vegetation, using the heat from decay to warm their eggs.
The male tends the mound, carefully regulating temperature by adding or removing material.
Despite the name, they're not closely related to turkeys.
Heaped earth formation
- incubationDevelopment before emergence
- compostDecayed organic fertilizer
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- thermoregulationMaintaining stable internal heat
eggs · temperature · fermentation · hatchling · buried · warmth · rotting · nest-building
Raking with nails
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- ground-dwellingLiving on earth's surface
- flightlessIncapable of aerial travel
- waryGuardedly alert
scavenging · digging · territorial · solitary · roaming · pecking · raking · bold
Hanging throat skin
- redPrimary color, warm
- yellowHue between green and orange
- blackDarkest possible hue
- plumageBird's complete feather coat
tail · fan · feathers · bald · head · neck · caruncle · legs
One who heaps earth
- gamebirdFowl hunted for sport
- fowlBirds for the table
- AustralianFrom the southern continent
- nativeOriginating from a place
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
- scrublandArea of low shrubs
- bushlandUncultivated native vegetation area
- QueenslandAustralia's northeastern state
- eucalyptusAromatic Australian timber tree
undergrowth · coastal · subtropical · tropical · woodland · garden · backyard · parkland
mound
Heaped earth formation
- incubationDevelopment before emergence
- compostDecayed organic fertilizer
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
thermoregulation · eggs · temperature · fermentation · hatchling · buried · warmth · rotting · nest-building · soil
scratching
Raking with nails
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- ground-dwellingLiving on earth's surface
- flightlessIncapable of aerial travel
wary · scavenging · digging · territorial · solitary · roaming · pecking · raking · bold · opportunistic
wattle
Hanging throat skin
plumage · tail · fan · feathers · bald · head · neck · caruncle · legs · comb
mound-builder
One who heaps earth
- gamebirdFowl hunted for sport
- fowlBirds for the table
- AustralianFrom the southern continent
rainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
- scrublandArea of low shrubs
- bushlandUncultivated native vegetation area
- QueenslandAustralia's northeastern state
eucalyptus · undergrowth · coastal · subtropical · tropical · woodland · garden · backyard · parkland · urban