This family of Brush-Turkey's live in the back dune or hind dune of one of our local beaches. The males and females are both similar in colour and size, except that the male has a large, bright yellow wattle that hangs from his neck, while the female is smaller and paler in colour. They are on the ground during the day, but are able to roost in the trees at night for safety.
The photos above and below are of a female brush-turkey.
The male is the hardest working of the parents, he builds the nest, which is a large mound of mulch, or plant litter about the size of a car. He will stick his beak in the mulch and take a mouthfull to check that its the perfect temperature, his beak has a very accurate heat sensor on the upper bill. Depending on this, he will either add or take away more plant litter to adjust the temperature.
Below is a photo of the Brush-Turkey's large nest. Above is a photo of the male Brush-Turkey. The male only lets a female come to the nest to lay her eggs when it is the ideal temperature.
We spent many days visiting our little Brush-Turkey family, when we went down to the beach. At first he was very wary of us, but after a while he accepted our friendly visits, though we always stayed at a respectful distance. Watching him hard at work, making his nest, and protecting the eggs from predators was truly fascinating.
After around fifty days the chicks hatch, and have to dig themselves vertically out of a metre of mulch to get to the surface. The parents don't hang around once they are born, and they are left to take care of themselves. Fortunately they can fly within an hour of hatching and their natural instincts kick into action.
Photos and content by white.tiger