ATOM feed
"The male brush-turkey builds a mound of plant litter and soil, adding or removing material to keep it at a constant temperature of 33deg. A mound is usually about 2–4m across and 1m high.
He spends many hours building his mound. The number of different females and the number of times they visit depend on his skill. If the mound is the right temperature, females will return many times to mate and lay eggs.
Both sexes have highly accurate heat sensors inside their upper bill. A brush-turkey will take a large mouthful of the mound to check whether it’s at the right temperature. Eggs are put into holes about half a metre deep in the mound and then covered. Between 18–24 eggs are laid, each taking about 50 days to hatch.
The male keeps watch while the eggs incubate, making sure the temperature is just right and keeping any predators at bay."
He spends many hours building his mound. The number of different females and the number of times they visit depend on his skill. If the mound is the right temperature, females will return many times to mate and lay eggs.
Both sexes have highly accurate heat sensors inside their upper bill. A brush-turkey will take a large mouthful of the mound to check whether it’s at the right temperature. Eggs are put into holes about half a metre deep in the mound and then covered. Between 18–24 eggs are laid, each taking about 50 days to hatch.
The male keeps watch while the eggs incubate, making sure the temperature is just right and keeping any predators at bay."
Fascinating stuff!. Birds are amazing creatures, so many, so different. Our bird does have a mound, it's in the yard next door, which backs onto us at one side, same sort of yard, big trees and heaps of leaf mulch.
You can sort of see it in this picture, but I will try for a better one, might have to go round there and not through the fence...
It seems we are very lucky, they are rarely found this close to the beach and not often in such an urban area. We do also live close to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary so we do see unlikely birds for the area now and then. We had a mother duck with 4 ducklings in the back yard one night. They frightened the life out of my poor cat.
I think this one lives here though, this is not his first visit, he comes around every year, but this is the first time I've had time to watch and get to see what he is up to. I can't wait to see if we get any babies.
Research & More Information:
Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service
Birds of Lamington National Park
13 Comments
Very interesting, we always eat turkey but have no idea how it behaves ! Maybe we humans should do the same, I see my husband building up a muckheap and I put my eggs in there ! ROTFL ! I only wrote this to try out a new word I have learned ! Thank you very much for the explanation, I think I could use that now very often !
I find that bit about the bush turkey very interesting, animals are so amazing aren't they.
WOW! That is extrordinary video...! He is a beauty...! I've never seen one of these fellas before...Thanks so much for posting all this info and thanks too for your visit!
I would find it so exciting too to find one so close to home! Fascinating facts you found about them too...I'm sure our men are happy they don't have to build us mounds at just the right temperature!! lol
Hi..Great video nature sure is a
fascinating thing,thanks for your visit.
Went to town brought home new computer, so more stuff to learn.
And believe me I'm still learning
Yay, Della, video worked! Good old bush turkey, the bane of gardeners!
Yes, that was fun and I learned heaps, and the turkey is still with me every day - now that I know he has eggs in the big mound through the fence, of course I will worry about them, oh dear!
It is pretty amazing, very early in the mornings I can actually see him now digging 'test-holes in the mound, so far he has left the new plants I have put in alone, I am trying to protect them with bricks and stones around them, we'll see...
Thanks everybody for visiting, I plan to do some reading now, until Spicks and Specks starts - I really enjoy my blog-visiting time.
Della
Hi Della
Very Interesting lesson on the bush turkey
An interesting posting and I enjoyed watching your industrious Turkey building its nest next door. When last up at Noosa we were amazed how many we saw, is there a resurgence in numbers of Brush Turkeys in Qld?
Best wishes
Hi Lindsay, to answer your question - they are an endangered species, but I believe it is more that their natural habitat is being eroded with urban development creeping into the countryside that is driving them to find locations wherever they can.
This is cool! But are you having trouble with audio - send me an email to dinaATblip.tv, and I'd love to hear more about your project. Very very cool! Dina
Hi Della, very interesting site, my first visit but won't be my last. Thank you for your kind words. Great video, mmmh, can you say Christmas dinner? or is the species protected!
Hi Della..
I enjoyed your pics,and the "TURKEY
TROT"....Stay Well
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