Back شقبانية Arabic شقبانيه ARZ Surnati (Megapodiidae) AVK Големокраки кокошки Bulgarian Megapodiidae Breton Megapòdids Catalan Megapodiidae CEB Tabonovití Czech Großfußhühner German Μεγαποδιίδες Greek

Megapode

Not to be confused with Macropod, kangaroos and similar marsupials.

Megapode
female Australian brushturkey (Alectura lathami)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Megapodiidae
Lesson, 1831
Genera
Brushturkeys can often be found in parks or gardens.

The megapodes, also known as incubator birds or mound-builders, are stocky, medium-large, chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet in the family Megapodiidae. Their name literally means "large foot" and is a reference to the heavy legs and feet typical of these terrestrial birds. All are browsers, and all except the malleefowl occupy wooded habitats. Most are brown or black in color. Megapodes are superprecocial, hatching from their eggs in the most mature condition of any bird. They hatch with open eyes, bodily coordination and strength, full wing feathers, and downy body feathers, and are able to run, pursue prey and, in some species, fly on the day they hatch.[1]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Starck-Ricklefs-1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Developed by StudentB