Maleo

Species of bird
the town in Italy

The maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) is a large megapode and the only member of the monotypic genus Macrocephalon. The maleo is endemic to Sulawesi and the nearby smaller island of Buton in Indonesia. It is found in the tropical lowland and hill forests, but nests in the open sandy areas, volcanic soils, or beaches that are heated by the sun or geothermal energy for incubation.

The maleo ranges from long with blackish plumage, bare yellow facial skin, reddish brown iris, reddish orange beak, and rosy salmon underparts. Maleos breed all year round, but peak breeding season varies depending upon the location on the island. When prepared to lay her eggs, the female maleo, accompanied by her mate, will leave the cover of the Sulawesian forest in search of historic coastal breeding grounds. Females can lay anywhere between 8–12 eggs over the course of a year. Once an optimal spot is chosen, the maleos dig a deep hole and lay the egg inside. After the egg is laid, the parents bury the egg securely in sand, sometimes covering the sand with other debris to better camouflage the hole. After the egg has been securely buried, the parents leave and never return, leaving the maleo chick to fend for itself. The hot sand of Sulawesi acts as an incubator for maleo eggs, which are warmed with geothermal heat or solar heat. A maleo chick is completely self sufficient only hours after hatching. For this reason, maleo eggs are approximately five times the size of a domestic chicken's, as they contain nearly full formed maleos inside. It must dig its way up through the sand immediately after hatching, and subsequently has the ability to fly and feed itself.

A large number of former nesting sites have been abandoned as a result of egg poaching and land conversion to agriculture. Of the 142 known nesting grounds, only 4 are currently considered non threatened.

Thanks to Alana O'Sullivan, a Senior Keeper of Ornithology, the Bronx Zoo (And recently, the Nashville Zoo), is one of the only places in the world where the maleo exists outside of Indonesia and breeding efforts are currently taking place there as well. A breeding pair of maleos at the Bronx Zoo were featured in an episode of the Animal Planet show The Zoo. O'Sullivan appeared and talked about the species and the threats they face. She also lamented that most people don't know they exist. Details about the maleo not yet mentioned include having an elaborate courtship ritual and loving peanuts. It's easy to tell when the female will lay her egg because she will lose interest in everything else, including peanuts, and at that point the keepers know she will lay her egg within the next 24 hours.