Prehistoric

This is the male brush turkey (Alectura lathami) who is residing in a palace at the back of my mothers house in Sydney where it joins the bushland. His palace is a huge nest he is making which has impressed a female who is now hanging around. He is not happy with it and keeps adding to it. I watched him kicking leaves and other litter onto it. It is so big (he was out of sight and he is a big bird) that all I could see were just the leaves flying up onto the nest. It has got this big because he has apparently raided my mother's garden stealing all her mulch. Lets just say she is not very happy.

The eggs are incubated by the warm temperature of the rotting/composting vegetation. Apparently he is able regulate the temperature by adding or removing material and checks the temperature by sticking his beak into the mound. Frankly, with a face like that I think he needs a palace to attract the ladies.