Orange-footed Scrubfowl Research Articles

Characteristics of Orange-Footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwoardt) Nests in Kerandangan Natural Tourism Park West Lombok

Orange-footed scrubfowl (Megapodius reidwardt) are protected species and need to be preserved. Orange-footed scrubfowl (Megapodius reidwardt) are terrestrial birds that build nests on the ground. To maintain its sustainability, it is necessary to have knowledge about the characteristics of orange-footed scrubfowl nests. Kerandangan Natural Tourism Park is one of the places where orange-footed scrubfowl are found, but until now there is still no information about the characteristics of orange-footed scrubfowl nests. So this study aims to analyze the characteristics of orange-footed scrubfowl nests in Kerandangan Natural Tourism Park. The method used in this research is descriptive exploration, the research variables include physical parameters of the nest, environmental parameters of the nest, chemical parameters of the nest mound and plant vegetation around the nest. The results showed that the diameter of the nest ranged from 400-590 cm with a nest height of 85-154 cm, the number of laying holes ranged from 1-3 holes and the soil texture class of the nest mound consisted of sandy loam and loam. Environmental parameters obtained average temperature outside the nest 27,9oC, average temperature inside the nest 28,6oC, average humidity outside the nest 80,3%, humidity inside the nest 81,2% and light intensity ranged from 98,1-834,1 lux in the morning, 437,8-4014,8 lux in the afternoon, and 45,7-653,8 lux in the afternoon. Chemical parameters obtained organic matter content ranged from 1,4%-3,2% and pH ranged from 6,8-7. Vegetation that had the highest INP in each nest was Voacanga foetida, Inga edulis, Artocarpus elasticus, and Bambusa bambos, these plant species act as materials for building nest mounds and potentially as food for orange-footed scrubfowl.

Microbial communities associated with mounds of the Orange-footed scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt.

Megapodius reinwardt, the orange-footed scrubfowl, belongs to a small family of birds that inhabits the Indo-Australian region. Megapodes are unique in incubating their eggs in mounds using heat from microbial decomposition of organic materials and solar radiation. Little is known about the microorganisms involved in the decomposition of organic matter in mounds. To determine the source of microbes in the mounds, we used 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the microbial communities of mound soil, adjacent soil and scrubfowl faeces. We found that the microbial communities of scrubfowl faeces were substantially different from those of the mounds and surrounding soils, suggesting that scrubfowls probably do not use their faeces to inoculate their mounds although a few microbial sequence variants were present in both faeces and mound samples. Further, the mound microbial community structure was significantly different to the adjacent soils. For example, mounds had a high relative abundance of sequence variants belonging to Thermomonosporaceae, a thermophilic soil bacteria family able to degrade cellulose from plant residues. It is not clear whether members of Thermomonosporaceae disproportionately contribute to the generation of heat in the mound, or whether they simply thrive in the warm mound environment created by the metabolic activity of the mound microbial community. The lack of clarity in the literature between designations of heat-producing (thermogenic) and heat-thriving (thermophilic) microbes poses a challenge to understanding the role of specific bacteria and fungi in incubation.

Breeding behaviour and diet of Rufous Owls Ninox rufa in the Darwin Botanic Gardens

The breeding cycle of a pair of Rufous Owls Ninox rufa was observed over five breeding seasons, 2016–2020, in the Darwin Botanic Gardens, Northern Territory. A pair failed or did not breed in four of those years and raised one fledgling in 2018. The Owls occupied a hollow 2.5 m above ground in the trunk of an exotic Earpod Tree Enterolobium cyclocarpum. In 2018, laying occurred sometime between 11 June and 2 July, hatching between 21 and 25 July, and fledging (first true flight) on 6 September, with branching on 2–5 September, giving a nestling period of 44–48 days. The juvenile remained dependent until mid November, giving an estimated post-fledging dependence period of 10 weeks. For the following 3 weeks, it roosted alone within its natal home range, increasingly far (270–320 m) from the nest tree and roosting adults. Calling behaviour (including duetting by the pre-laying pair), courtship, copulation and parental behaviour and routines are described. From observations and pellet analysis, the Owls’ diet consisted of 78% mammals [Common Brushtail Possums Trichosurus vulpecula arnhemensis, flying-foxes (probably all Black Flying-foxes Pteropus alecto) and rats (probably Black Rats Rattus rattus)] and 22% birds (passerines and non-passerines up to Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt in size) by number.

Preferential Habitat of Orange Footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reindwardt) at Nature Tourism Park of Mount Tunak, Lombok Tengah Regency, Nusa Tenggara Barat Province

Orange Footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reindwart Dumont 1823) is classified as protected bird based on the Preservation of Plant and Animal Species of Ministry of Enviromental and Forestry Decree No. 92/2018. As a natural park, TWA of Gunung Tunak serves as a natural conservation area (NCA) which has a basic function as a conservation area designated as a recreation area and nature tourism. Associated with its function then TWA of Gunung Tunak has an important role in supporting the conservation of wild animals especially Orange Footed Scrubfowl and the implementation of recreational activities and natural tourism in a sustainable manner. The objectives of this study were to analysis the preferential habitats of Orange Footed Scrubfowl. Based on the results of multiple linear regression analysis of stepwise method, it can be known that dominant factors to the frequency of presence of Orange Footed Scrubfowl in a selected habitat are the number of predators, the distance from water source, soil texture, and altitude of place with the equation Y = 3.390.96 + 2.28X11 + 0.00084X5 - 0.0117X10 - 0.0034X3. Based on the results of preference index analysis with Neu method, it can be seen that the preferred area of Orange Footed Scrubfowl is only in Block I (w ≥ 1) namely the forest area near Teluk Ujung Coast. Based on the place altitude, the existence of the mound of nest from the sea surface, the Orange Footed Scrubfowl prefer the area at an altitude of 0-25 m above sea level. Keywords: Megapodius reindwart, Nature Tourism Park of Mount Tunak, orange footed scrubfowl, preferential habitat

Observations of hunting behaviour in an urban predator: the domestic DogCanis familiaris

Two different hunting methods, used by domestic Dogs Canis familiaris, are described involving attacks on an Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt and Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae. The two observations were recorded in widely different habitats: one occurred in a botanical garden and the other on a beach. The two dogs adapted their behaviours for the habitat and the particular challenges presented. One dog used waves in a beach environment, which aided concealment and increased its momentum when springing at gulls.The other dog followed a dry ephemeral stream relying on a combination of scent-tracking and speed to attack the scrubfowl. Both attacks were unsuccessful, although human intervention in the latter may have affected the outcome.The widely differing methods show that dogs are capable of adapting their hunting behaviour to suit particular situations.

Distribution, seasonal use, and predation of incubation mounds of Orange-footed Scrubfowl on Komodo Island, Indonesia

Megapodes are unique in using only heat from the environment, rather than body heat, to incubate their eggs as well as the precocious independence of their chicks on hatching. Of 22 recognized species of megapodes, 9 are listed as threatened due to factors including habitat loss and fragmentation, and pr?dation on eggs and chicks. Orange-footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardt) are conspicuous components of the Oriental/Austral avifauna that inhabit the monsoon forests of the Lesser Sunda chain of islands in Indonesia. We examined the abundance, patterns of distribution, physical characteristics, seasonal activity, and pr?dation risk of incubation mounds of Orange-footed Scrubfowl on Komodo Island in eastern Indonesia. We surveyed 13 valleys on Komodo Island from April 2002 to January 2005 and located 113 tended and 107 untended incubation mounds. Densities of scrubfowl mounds in our study were similar to that reported by investigators during the 1970s, suggesting little change in the scrubfowl population since then. Most scrubfowl mounds were on sandy or loamy soils in open monsoon forest with little overhead shade, and placement of mounds in such areas may ensure adequate temperatures for egg incubation. Although some mounds were tended during all months, mound use peaked during the late wet season in March. During the dry season (April-November), only a few mounds were tended. Komodo dragons ( Varanus komodoensis) and wild pigs (Sus seroja) were the primary predators of scrubfowl eggs, with no indication of egg pr?dation by humans. The valley with the largest number of untended mounds in our study also had the largest number of active Komodo dragon nests. This suggests an effect of Komodo dragons on scrubfowl numbers, but additional study is needed.

Orange-footed Scrubfowl in Darwin - horticultural pest or partner

The article highlights the spread of the habitat of the orange-footed scrubfowl in Darwin. The bird was only seen in around 3 areas and now has been found in 30 suburbs of Darwin and residents have reported their garden-raking activities.

Mound Characteristics and Behaviour of the Orange-footed Scrubfowl in the Seasonal Tropics of Australia

SummarySeventeen site characteristics associated with the location of incubation mounds of the Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt were measured for three habitat types: monsoon forest, regeneration forest and a sandy coastal vine thicket adjacent to an intertidal zone. The three habitats differed with respect to shrub cover, litter cover, canopy cover and several tree measurements. Mound sites differed from random sites with respect to several variables, and these differences can be attributed to the litter-collecting activities of the birds, which disrupt the vegetation on and near the mounds. Internal mound temperatures were recorded over a 12 month period in 10 active mounds, two disused mounds and at two control sites. Active mound temperatures in all three habitats were similar despite significant mound site differences, particularly with respect to canopy cover and incident solar radiation. Whereas the decomposition of litter was the primary source of heat for the mounds in the monsoon and regeneration forests, both solar radiation and microbial decomposition contributed to the heat of the mounds in the sandy coastal vine thicket. Soil temperatures in disused mounds and at control sites decreased with the onset of monsoonal rains, but active mound temperatures remained stable during this period. Behavioural observations were recorded over a 19-week period for a pair of Orange-footed Scrubfowl at an active mound. The collection and incorporation of leaf litter into the mound increased significantly as monsoonal rains intensified. The birds were most active during the early morning period. Hatchlings and juvenile birds were observed in the study area throughout the eight months of field work and one colour banded bird was observed defending two mounds on several occassions.

Abandoned Orange-footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardt) nests and coastal rainforest boundary dynamics during the late Holocene in monsoonal Australia

Abstract The late Holocene history of monsoon rainforest retreat in northern Australia was explored by radiocarbon dating abandoned Orange-footed Scrubfowl ( Megapodius reinwardt ) nests. Scrubfowl can only build ‘nests’ (large heaps of soil and leaf litter) in coastal rainforests in northern Australia. A detailed study from a site with a known history of rainforest contraction demonstrated that it is impossible to accurately determine the date of rainforest boundary retreat by radiocarbon dating abandoned Scrubfowl nests. Nonetheless radiocarbon dates from abandoned nests at three sites on the coast of the Northern Territory suggested that the rainforests contracted sometime within the late Holocene. It is argued that the cause of such localised rainforest contraction is the combined effect of tropical cyclone damage and subsequent severe fires occurring in the storm debris, and not regional climatic change, a cause shown to be inconsistent with existing ecological and geomorphological data. The observed maintenance of rainforest boundaries under a regime of Aboriginal burning and the geographically patchy occurrence of abandoned Scrubfowl nests does not support the idea that Aborigines have been the primary cause of widespread rainforest retreat in the late Holocene.

Shell mound formation in coastal northern Australia

Shell mounds are late Holocene deposits typically dominated by a single shell species. In northern Australia these mounds are associated with prograding coastal plains. The largest and most numerous are at Weipa on Cape York Peninsula. Archaeologists claim that these mounds were formed by generations of shellfishing Aborigines. This hypothesis is false because most of the shells from the type-site are of a similar radiocarbon age. Mapping and augering of two contrasting shell mound environments along the Mission River at Weipa demonstrates that mound formation is a natural consequence of local chenier plain development. This is supported by shell ages from across the Weipa landscape. The shell mounds at Prumanung originated as a coarse shell berm. The large mounds on the Uningan plain originated as small shell cheniers. The only reasonable explanation for the transformation of these natural shell deposits into tall, steep-sided mounds is the mound-building behaviour of the Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt. Similar mounds composed predominantly of sand and gravel are also present at these localities. The strong likelihood that the shell mounds are natural shell deposits raises serious questions about basic principles of shell midden archaeology. New methods for distinguishing between cultural and natural shell deposits are needed.

Environmental Relationships of Orange-footed ScrubfowlMegapodius reinwardtNests in the Northern Territory

The occurrence of Orange-footed Scrubfowl nests within monsoon rainforest patches was recorded during a comprehensive survey of this vegetation type in the Northern Territory. The occurrence of active and extinct nests in nearby surrounding habitats was also noted. Of the 1223 rainforest patches sampled, 25% contained scrubfowl nests. No active nests were recorded in savanna habitats. Nests typically occur in large (mean = 64 ha) coastal monsoon rainforests on siliceous substrates. The occurrence of extinct nests in savanna surrounding rainforest patches that contained active nests was infrequent (7% of the sample) but may indicate a contraction of the habitat of Orangefooted Scrubfowl in the Northern Territory. Localised extinction of Scrubfowl populations may have occurred at two rainforest patches which did not contain nests but had extinct nests in the surrounding savanna. The cause of this apparent habitat contraction remains unclear.

Dispersal of Newly Hatched Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt

"Dispersal of Newly Hatched Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt." Emu - Austral Ornithology, 94(3), pp. 220–221

A Cut-and-paste Community: Birds of Monsoon Rainforests in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory

The bird species composition of 88 patches of monsoon rainforest in the Kakadu National Park area of the Northern Territory was examined in the period April-November 1987. The monsoon rainforest avifauna is a 'cut-and-paste' community, comprising species derived from wet tropical rainforests, from Eucalyptus open forests, from mangroves, from paperbark woodlands and habitat generalist species. Its composition may be seasonally unstable, and is re-arranged between monsoon rainforests of differing floristics or environment. For most bird species considered, the distribution was well associated with a division of monsoon rainforests into six groups: coastal, subcoastal, lowland springs, sandstone springs, escarpment and rock outcrop. Escarpment and rock outcrop rainforests were relatively depauperate. Monsoon rainforests are fragmented into small patches. The distribution of many characteristic rainforest birds (e.g. Orange-footed Scrub-fowl, Rainbow Pitta, Grey Whistler), bird species diversity and a Conservation Index were correlated with patch size. Bird species more typical of Eucalyptus open forests were abundant in patches most disturbed by buffalo, pigs, weeds and fire. No species were particularly associated with the edges of monsoon rainforests, but several open forest species occurred more commonly at edges than in the interior of monsoon rainforests (e.g. Barshouldered Dove, White-throated Honeyeater and Doublebarred Finch). Birds occurring in monsoon rainforests are probably highly vagile, a response mainly to the marked seasonality of the environment and the fragmented nature of monsoon rainforests.

Notes on Social Organization and Breeding of the Orange-Footed Scrubfowl Megapodius Reinwardt

SUMMARYCrome, F. H. J., and H. E. Brown. 1979. Notes on social organization and breeding of the Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt. Emus 79: 111–119.Twenty-eight mounds of Megapodius reinwardt were surveyed in the area of Clifton Beach, north of Cairns, Queensland. Detailed observations and temperature were recorded at one mound near Sweet Creek. Three pairs of birds successively used the mound during fifty-four months. The third pair shared the mound with a fourth for two months. During this shared occupation the pairs never worked together and confrontations rarely occurred. The fourth pair did little work other than digging holes for eggs. Territories appeared to be advertised by nocturnal calling. The third pair, which was observed most, worked throughout the year, the male more than the female. The temperature regime of the mound is described. The site of the egg was always a little warmer than the rest of the mound and reached a maximum of 38 °C. The third pair laid twelve eggs during the breeding season of 1973–74 when they occupied the mound alone.