The black-billed brushturkey, yellow-legged brushturkey or black-billed talegalla is a species of bird in the family Megapodiidae. It is found in the Aru Islands and New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.
Region
New Guinea and Aru Islands
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland rainforests across New Guinea and on the Aru Islands. It favors dense understory, riverine and swamp forests, and adjacent secondary growth or forest edges. Most activity is on the forest floor where it forages by scratching through leaf litter. It is generally absent from high mountains but can persist near small clearings and village gardens close to forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This mound-building megapode incubates its eggs using heat from large compost-like mounds of leaf litter and soil, carefully regulated by the male. Chicks hatch fully feathered and independent, able to run and fly short distances almost immediately. It is a shy, ground-dwelling bird of the New Guinea region and nearby Aru Islands. Local names reference its striking yellow legs and contrasting black bill.
Temperament
shy and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; mostly terrestrial
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, occasionally in small family groups. Males construct and maintain large incubation mounds and may breed with multiple females. Eggs are buried in the mound and incubated by the heat of decomposing vegetation; adults do not brood. Chicks are superprecocial and disperse soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include low booming notes, grunts, and repeated clucking calls that carry through dense forest. Duet-like exchanges and alarm grunts are common when disturbed.
Plumage
Mostly dark, sooty to blackish plumage with a slightly browner sheen on the upperparts; feathers appear coarse and loose on the body. Underparts may be slightly paler toward the belly and vent. The head shows some bare facial skin.
Diet
Omnivorous, scratching through leaf litter for fallen fruits, seeds, and a wide variety of invertebrates such as insects, worms, and snails. It will also take small vertebrates opportunistically and nibble on tender shoots. Foraging is methodical, often leaving characteristic disturbed patches of litter.
Preferred Environment
Primarily feeds on the forest floor in dense lowland rainforest, along forest edges, and in secondary growth. It may visit gardens or clearings near forest to exploit fallen fruit.
