Post Card From Oz21 August 1998
From our Queensland, Australia Trip
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ON THE RUN. The Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami)is a common sight in and around Brisbane and throughout eastern Queensland. They are large, 59 to 70cm in length. This turkey was running through our yard when I tracked it down. Brush-turkeys are mound-builders or megapodes. With their stout legs, the males scratch up earth and leaf litter not only to find food but also to build large "incubators" where the female lays her eggs. The male tends the mound controlling its temperature by opening and or closing it. Th eggs in the mound generally have not been fertilized by the male tending the mound! The mounds can be 4m across and 1--2m in height and contain a dozen or more eggs.
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