Malleefowl

The Malleefowl or Lowan bird or mound-builder or incubator bird, is a native of this area - the dry sandy Mallee scrub. They belong to the megapode family like scrub turkeys and scrub fowls.

A pair of giant malleefowl at Patchewollock

Malleefowls are foragers eating seeds and insects, and while they live on the ground, they can fly and sleep in trees. The birds mate for life which can be up to 20 years.  At 2-4 years the male digs a large hole in the ground then rakes composting leaf litter into a mound and attracts the female with his booming bird-call. After the female lays a number of her eggs in the centre, the male maintains the regulated temperature of the mound. Malleefowls take 55-60 days to grow from egg embryos to hatchlings, when they must dig themselves out of the mound and fend for themselves (the adults ignore the newborn chicks).