Maleo birds
The maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) is a member of small family of mound builders, or incubator birds (megapodiidae), which with one exception is confined to eastern Indonesia, new Guinea, Australia and Polynesia. The maleo itself, however, is found only in north, central and southweast Celebes. It is about the size of a domestic hen, weighing around 1,6 kg (Guillemard 1889), with striking black and rose-white plumage, an erect tail, and a head with a bare, helmeted cranium which may serve to keep the brain cool when it is on hot beaches 9watling 1983).
The bill is pale green and red at the base. Maleo are primarily inhabitants of forest, but only lay eggs where the ground is sufficiently hot for incubation-that is near hat springs (Wiriosoepartho 1979), near volcanic vents, or on sandy beaches. The megapodes and the Egyptian plover (Pluvianus aegyptius) are the only living birds which do not use the heat of their own for incubation.
Pairs arrive at a nesting area the night before eggs are laid. The following morning, amid much duck-like quacking and turkey-like gobbing, the birds examine holes and make trial digs. When a suitable spot is found, both male and female start digging, throwing earth or sand behind them using their strong legs and claws. The toes are slightly webbed at the base which must help when scratching away loose sand (Wallace 1869). As the hole becomes cleeper, so the birds take it in turns to dig and drive away other maleos that venture too close.
This digging can take over three hours, particularly where the sand is loose, after which the female lays her enormous egg, 11 cm long and 240-270 egg g in weight (Guillemard 1889), in the bottom of the pit. Subsequent eggs are laid and is lengthened by the digging of false pits near the real one to divert predators such as monitor lizard and pigs. Against human who value maleo eggs as a delicacy, however, these precautions are of little use. During the nesting period the maleos seek food such as figs, and fruit of macaranga (Euphorbiaceae) and Dracontomelum (Anacardiaceae) in the beach forest and roost primarily in Casuarina (Casuarinaceae) trees (Wiriosoepartho 1980).