Dusky Megapode
Photo: James Eaton · CC0

Megapodes

Dusky Megapode

Megapodius freycinet

LCLeast Concern Endemic to Indonesia
Family
Megapodes (Megapodiidae)
Order
Galliformes

Overview

The dusky megapode (Megapodius freycinet), also known as dusky scrubfowl or common megapode, is a medium-sized, approximately 41 cm (16 in) long, blackish bird with a short pointed crest, bare red facial skin, dark legs, brown irises, and a dark brown and yellow bill. The male and female are similar. This terrestrial species lives in forests and swamps, including mangroves, of the Maluku and Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia. Like other megapodes, it lays its eggs in a mound made from earth mixed with leaves, sand, gravel, and sticks, which can be as large as 11 m (36 ft) in diameter and stand nearly 5 m (16 ft) tall.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

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Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.