Sula Megapode
Megapodius bernsteinii
A dumpy, partridge-like bird with an obvious crest and powerful legs and feet. Uniform reddish-brown with dull orange legs. Immatures buffier, with blackish legs. Terrestrial. Found in pairs or small groups mostly within lowland forest and coastal scrub. Restricted to Sula and Banggai islands, where no other megapodes or similar birds occur. Call is an explosive “KYER-OW-Kyer”, starting strongly and becoming less powerful at the end. Sometimes includes some bubbling notes.
Identification
The Sula scrubfowl is a medium-sized ground-dwelling bird growing to a length of between 30 and 35 cm (12 and 14 in). The sexes are similar in appearance, being a uniform reddish-brown colour and having a short, pointed crest and long red or orange-red legs and feet.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Megapodius bernsteinii
- Authority
- Schlegel, 1866
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Megapodiidae
- Genus
- Megapodius
Range and habitat
It is known only from the Banggai and Sula Islands, groups of islands between Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Habitats include lowland forests as well as dense scrub near forests and farmland, at altitudes of up to 450 m (1,500 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The species usually forages in pairs, but on one occasion, a group of five birds moving about and feeding together was recorded, perhaps an adult pair and their young. The diet mainly consists of roots and invertebrates, including earthworms.<p>Very little was known of the breeding habits of this bird so a study was undertaken in 1991. Nine birds were in the vicinity of the study site, four pairs and a single bird. There was much vocalisation mostly in the form of duetting and choruses, with all the birds joining in synchrony. Calling took place in the mornings and to a lesser extent in the afternoons indicating the presence of birds close to the nest. The study nest was a cone-shaped mound in a fallow cultivated field close to scrub and forest remnants. It was built over two rotting logs and was constructed of sand and clay. Eggs are laid by the female in the mound and covered with soil (this was not observed). During the month-long observation period, a bird (or sometimes two) would approach the mound on most days and rake the surface with its claws. The bird faced downhill and scratched the surface with alternate feet, working in one instance for 116 minutes. Another bird could sometimes be heard in the nearby undergrowth. The scratching bird was alert to danger, freezing at unexpected noises, and peering round and responding to the warning cries of the blue-backed parrot (Tanygnathus sumatranus) and the spangled drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus). Monitor lizards (Varanus) sometimes tried to raid the nest, usually after an adult bird had been raking, but had little success while the researchers were watching.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sulphur-bellied Tyrant-Manakin
Neopelma sulphureiventer
Large, tan manakin. Longer-tailed with a more upright posture than other smaller manakins. Forages singly or in pairs in the low midstory of dense, viny secondary forest, especially along rivers; in areas with bamboos, largely restricted to bamboo patches. Call is distinctive nasal laughing.
Blue-faced Malkoha
Phaenicophaeus viridirostris
Long-tailed gray cuckoo with a pale blue eye-ring and ivory-colored bill. Note the broad white tips to the undertail feathers. Clambers about in trees and thickets, either singly or in pairs. Inhabits lowland and hill areas, where it favors thorny scrub and second growth.
Arrowhead Warbler
Setophaga pharetra
A small active species found high in moist woodlands. Frequently flicks its tail and often gives impression of being entirely heavily streaked. Blackpoll Warbler can be somewhat similar, but fall birds are tinged with some degree of yellow below, and spring males have a bold white cheek. Black-and-white Warbler is also similar, but it has bold black-and-white stripes (as opposed to distinct streaks as on Arrowhead Warbler) on crown and is usually found creeping along tree trunks or limbs. Call is a hard chip with a slightly squeaky quality. Song is relatively quiet and variable consisting of “tsi” notes; often with two or three introductory notes followed by one or two notes at a lower pitch then several notes at original pitch, given in rapid succession.
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