mallee fowl

Australian bird Leipoa ocellata, family Megapodiidae. It is found in arid areas where the mallee grows. Its young are born with feathers and are immediately independent, never needing any parental care. Mallee fowl grow to a length of around 60 cm/23 in.

The males have a unique method of incubating eggs by digging a pit in winter, then filling it with leaves and grass, and covering the resulting mound with sand. This compost heap then begins to rot and to generate heat. The female lays one egg every several days in a hole dug by the male, who then keeps the temperature at 33°C/91°F by testing the mound with his tongue, and adding or removing sand. When the chick hatches, it digs its way out.