Mound bird is a name applied to several species of birds that build mounds for nests. This group includes the brushturkey and mallee fowl. Mound birds are also called megapodes. They are found from the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean to the Philippines and Australia. Most mound birds are dull-colored, and most are about the size of a chicken.
Mound birds lay pinkish eggs in mounds of soil mixed with leaves and other plant material. They scrape the mounds together with their large feet. The plant material gives off heat as it decays. This heat and the heat of the sun hatch the eggs. The birds may use the same mounds for many years, adding to them each season. Some mounds become more than 14 feet (4 meters) high and 70 feet (21 meters) around. The female places each egg in a hole that she digs in the top of the mound. The young birds hatch in six weeks.
See also Bird (Birds of Australia and New Zealand); Bird (Family life of birds).
