The Tanimbar megapode or Tanimbar scrubfowl is a small megapode endemic to the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia. It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the orange-footed scrubfowl, Megapodius reinwardt.
Region
Maluku Islands
Typical Environment
Occurs only on the Tanimbar group, primarily on larger islands such as Yamdena, Larat, and Selaru. It favors lowland forests, coastal scrub, secondary growth, and edges of mangroves. The species spends most of its time on the ground, foraging in leaf litter and sandy soils. Nesting mounds are placed in well-drained sites in forest clearings, coastal thickets, or village fringe habitats.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 400 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This mound‑building bird incubates its eggs in large heaps of warm, decomposing vegetation or sun‑warmed sand rather than by brooding. Chicks hatch fully feathered and capable of flight within hours, receiving no parental care. Endemic to Indonesia’s Tanimbar Islands, it is vulnerable to habitat loss and hunting pressure. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the orange-footed scrubfowl.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, keeping to dense cover. Breeding involves the construction and maintenance of large incubation mounds, sometimes used communally by multiple birds. Adults do not brood or care for young; chicks disperse immediately after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives loud, harsh cackles, clucks, and nasal calls, often at dawn and dusk. Vocalizations carry far through forest and scrub, serving territorial and contact purposes.
