Over the past few weeks I’ve been watching the action at a Brush-turkey mound. The male bird is very attentive, keeping the mound in good shape and calling to attract females.

Every so often, a female arrives and starts taking the mound apart! At first I thought the male was annoyed when he pecked at the female. But watch what happens at about one minute into the video. The male is the one with the long yellow flaps hanging below its beak:

Male Australian Brush-turkeys build huge mounds of leaves and other plant matter each year. They lovingly tend the mound, spending hours every day reorganizing the leaves. Every now and then, the male utters a strange booming call (I managed to make a video of this male calling a few weeks ago) to let females know he’s ready for business.

Females come and inspect the male’s work. If they approve, the birds mate and eventually the female lays eggs in the mound. The chicks hatch of their own accord, and are immediately independent of their parents.

Several females have visited this particular mound over the weeks. I’ve been waiting for chicks to appear, but haven’t seen any yet.

In the meantime, in another area of the park today, this cute little young Brush-turkey flew past me at knee height. It was about the size of a large fist. I didn’t know they could fly at this age!

Common name: Australian Brush-turkey
Scientific name: Alectura lathami
Approximate length of adult: 60-70 cm
Date spotted: 13 December 2020 (summer)
Location of the chick: Manly Dam Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’55.6″S 151°15’05.3″E