The Nicobar megapode or Nicobar scrubfowl is a megapode found in some of the Nicobar Islands (India). Like other megapode relatives, it builds a large mound nest with soil and vegetation, with the eggs hatched by the heat produced by decomposition. Newly hatched chicks climb out of the loose soil of the mound and being fully feathered are capable of flight. The Nicobar Islands are on the edge of the distribution of megapodes, well separated from the nearest ranges of other megapode species. Being restricted to small islands and threatened by hunting, the species is vulnerable to extinction. The 2004 tsunami is believed to have wiped out populations on some islands and reduced populations on several others.
Region
Nicobar Islands, eastern Indian Ocean
Typical Environment
Confined to coastal and lowland forests on numerous islands of the Nicobar Archipelago. Prefers beach forest, littoral scrub, pandanus thickets, and secondary growth with sandy or loose soils suitable for mound construction. Often nests just inland from shorelines, on dunes, or along riverbanks, choosing well-drained sites above storm surge lines. Avoids heavily urbanized or intensively cultivated areas and is sensitive to disturbance near mounds.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 300 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This mound-building bird incubates its eggs using the heat of decomposing vegetation, carefully regulating mound temperature by adding or removing material. Chicks hatch fully feathered and can run and fly shortly after emerging. The species is highly sensitive to habitat disturbance and hunting, and was heavily impacted by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Conservation actions focus on protecting coastal forests and limiting human disturbance near nesting mounds.
Illustration of the head
Legs and feet of a museum specimen
The egg is elongate oval
Temperament
shy and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; mostly terrestrial
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs, maintaining territories around their incubation mounds. Both sexes build and tend the mound, adding or removing material to regulate temperature. Mating is monogamous or loosely paired, and chicks are superprecocial, leaving the mound unaided soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include loud cackling or crowing calls, often given at dawn and dusk. Pairs may duet with accelerating, rattling notes that carry through coastal forest.
