Australian
Alectura lathami· 冢雉科(1 photos)
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Australian Brushturkey
60-70 cm. Large black fowl with prominent tail flattened sideways. Bare red head/neck with bright yellow wattle, prominent in breeding male. (Race purpureicollis: bluish white wattle.) Immature: duller, more feathered head/neck. Singles, pairs, parties: wary; runs into undergrowth; flies heavily up into trees, with flapping leaps. Roosts high during heat of day and at night; descends with heavy flappings, grunts.
- Other name
- Scrub Turkey.
- Similar Species
- Orange-footed Scrubfowl: dark-feathered head/crest; orange legs.
- Voice
- deep, nasal 'kyok!'; loud clucks, deep grunts.
- Habitat
- tropical, temperate rainforests, scrubs; sub-inland brigalow in Q.
- Breeding
- May-Nov.
- Nest
- mounds average c. 4 m across by 1-2 m high; of leaves, etc. mixed with earth. Male regulates temperature at about 35° C.
- Eggs
- white, fragile; average number in mound 12-16; laid singly, at intervals of days. One female may lay 20+ eggs per season; some in more than one mound. Incubation period c. 7 weeks. Young dig unaided to surface; fend for themselves.
- Range & Status
- coastal e. Aust. and islands; from C. York patchily s. to Illawarra region (NSW); inland to c. Charters Towers-Blackall-Augathella (Q); in NSW Pilliga scrub, Boggabri. Introduced Dunk I. (Q), Kangaroo I. (SA). Race purpureicollis n. C. York Pen. (Q). Sedentary; common, patchy.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Alectura lathami lathami 2. Alectura lathami purpureicollis
