Maleo Bird (Macrocephalon maleo): Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia

"The appearance of the bird when walking on the beach is very handsome"
(Alfred Russel Wallace, in "the Malay Archipelago" p. 203)

Behavior:

The maleo forms an apparently monogamous pair-bond, probably for life, and the members of the pair remain close to each other (within a few metres) at all times, when foraging, roosting or egg-laying. The maleos lay communally in traditional nesting grounds in volcanic soil and coastal beaches. They deposit their eggs mostly in the months of August and September, when there is little or no rain. They scratch holes about 40 - 100 cm deep. The male assists the female in making the hole. The female deposits a single large egg, then she covers it with about 30 cm of sand, then returns to the forest. At the end of 7 or 9 days after that she returns to lay another egg. After the eggs are deposited in the sand, they are no longer longer cared for by the mother.The young birds, on breaking the shell, work their own way up through the sand and run to the forest. Maleos can run quickly, but when shot at or suddenly distributed, they take wing with a heavy noisy flight to neighboring trees.

Threats and Predators:
	- human (collecting eggs, hunting, habitat destruction) - dogs - wild pigs (Sus celebensis) - monitor lizards (Varanus salvator) - Python reticulatus and P. molurus - cats

Taxonomy and nomenclature:
	Local name	: Burung Maleo
	Indonesian name	: Burung Maleo
	English name	: Celebes Maleo, Maleo bird
	French name	: Maléo
	Science name	: Macrocephalon maleo
	Genus	: Macrocephalon
	Family	: Megapodiidae
	Order	: Galliformes
	Class	: Aves
	Phylum	: Chordata
	Kingdom	: Animalia
	The endangered maleo ( Marcrocephalon Maleo ) is a weird and wonderful bird. It is classified as a "megapode", meaning "giant foot". It is a chicken or bush turkey in that it incubates its giant eggs at ground level. The maleo has relatives in Australia and Polynesia, but it is found only in Sulawesi.

Pictures:		By:
	1. On a tree	ŠCh.HALIM c/o NELL Tour and Travel Ltd
	2. Digging for a nest	Indonesian tourism office

Physical:
	beak	: 3.5 cm	width of eye	: 1.5 cm
	crest	: 3.0 cm	neck	: 17.0 cm
	body	: 19.5 cm	leg	: 21.0 cm
	weight	: 1.5 kg	wing	: 20.0 cm
	The color of its body is black and white. Viewed from the side, the beak and forehead are straight, while the rear of the head is prominent and rounded. There ia webbing between the claws. The Maleo bird resembles a domestic hen and is of a similar size. It has a hard black crest (the local people call this "kapseti"). The function of the crest is to measure temperature while the bird is making a nest for its eggs in the sandy volcanic or coral ground. The maleo has a reddish-orange beak. The color of the thorax feathers is reddish-white and the remainder of the body is black. The leg has four long sharp claws, separated by a membranous web.
Egg:	The Maleo's egg is extremely large relative to the body size of the female (16 % of the body size vs. 3 % of domestic hen).
	length	: 9.0 cm	min. weight	: 190.0 gr
	max. weight	: ą 280.0 gr	volume	: five times larger than the egg of a domestic hen
	diameter	: 6.0 cm

Reproduction:
	- The egg-laying season is from September to March (south coast of North Sulawesi), March - September (north coast of North Sulawesi), and October to May (inland). - The female produces about 20 - 30 eggs per year, one egg laid every 7-9 days over a laying season of 2-3 months. - Incubation period 62 - 85 days.

Life cycle:
	- Sexual Maturity: 2-3 years. - Can produce eggs until age 20 years. - Life span: Up to 30 years.

Habitat:
	Endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia: lowland and hill forest at up to 1,200 m

Population:
	Estimates dating from 1978 suggest that there may be between 5,000 and 10,000 maleos in Sulawesi, but this is not confirmed. A more recent estimate (1987) suggests 150 - 200 pairs.

Diet:
	fruits, seeds, worms, snails, beetles, ants, termites.

Conservation status:
	- Endangered (Red Data book) - Vulnerable (IUCN Red Data Book, 2000) - Protected animal under Indonesian law - Appendix I (CITES)