Difference between revisions of "Mallee fowl"

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{{Taxonomy
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The '''mallee fowl''' or '''malleefowl''', ''Leipoa ocellata'', is a large, ground dwelling [[Australia]]n [[bird]] that has an extraordinarily precise method of [[reproduction]].
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|name=Mallee fowl
 
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|image=Malleefowl1.jpg
 
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|caption=
 
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|domain=Eukaryota
 
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|kingdom=Animalia
 
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|subkingdom=Bilateria
 
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|branch=Deuterostomia
 
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|superphylum=
 
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|phylum=Chordata
 
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|subphylum=Vertebrata
 
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|infraphylum=Gnathostomata
 
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|microphylum=
 
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|superdivision=
 
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|division=
 
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|subdivision=
 
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|superclass=Tetrapoda
 
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|class=Aves
 
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|subclass=Avialae
 
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|infraclass=
 
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|superorder=Galloanserimorphae
 
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|order=Galliformes
 
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|suborder=Craci
 
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|infraorder=
 
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|superfamily=Megapodioidea
 
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|families=
 
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|family=Megapodiidae
 
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|subfamily=
 
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|supertribe=
 
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|tribe=
 
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|subtribe=
 
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|genera=
 
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|genus=Leipoa
 
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|subgenus=
 
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|species=L. ocellata
 
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|binomialname=
 
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|syn=
 
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|sub=
 
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|alt=
 
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|regionimg=Malleefowl range.png
 
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|pop=100,000 est (2000; decreasing)
 
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|conservation=Vulnerable<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22678646/0</ref>
 
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}}
 
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The '''mallee fowl''' or '''malleefowl''' (''Leipoa ocellata'') is a large, ground dwelling [[Australia]]n [[bird]], part of a family of birds known to create large "incubator" nests for their young.
 
  
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==Description==
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Mallee fowl spend nine to eleven months a year preparing a 3ft by 6ft (1 metre by 2 metre) mound that will act as an incubating [[nest]]. The [[egg]]s are laid in this nest and covered by soil and vegetation. The decomposing vegetation generates heat to keep the eggs warm.  During the incubation period adult birds check the temperature of the nest using their beaks and alter the composition of the mound to maintain a temperature around 90 degrees [[Fahrenheit]] (33 degrees [[Celsius]]).
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Mallee fowl are roughly chicken-sized birds, up to 2 feet (60&nbsp;cm) in length and just over 5 pounds (2.5&nbsp;kg) in weight.  The predominant base color is gray, with the underside a creamy white color.  Mottled brown, black, gray and white are on the upper surfaces of the wings, and a black stripe extends from throat to chest.<ref>Marchant & Higgins 1993</ref>  Males are slightly larger than females; apart from size there is no difference in coloration.  Juvenile birds are paler.
 
  
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Feeding consists of seeds, tubers, flowers, herbs, fruit, insects and other invertebrates.
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When the eggs hatch, the chicks break out of their shells, crawl through 2 feet of the nest material, and then can immediately run into scrub. Within 24 hours of hatching they can fly.  Neither the mother nor father mallee fowl give their offspring any more attention or training, yet instinct alone is sufficient for them to behave exactly as their parents did as adults.<ref>http://www.malleefowl.com.au/Malleefowl.htm</ref>
  
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==Habitat and Range==
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== Creationist view ==
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Mallee fowl inhabit the semi-arid areas of southern and southwest Australia, in which the land is dominated by the ''mallee eucalypts'', a type of hardy eucalyptus plant that is drought-resistant and supplies a large amount of leaf litter for the birds to construct their nesting mounds. 
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A number of creationists have claimed that the mallee fowl could not have arisen by evolution, due to the requirement for everything to be working together, and the inability of evolution to create complete complex systems at once.<ref>Doolan, Robert, [http://creationtips.com/malleefowl.html: Australian bird takes temperature to survive: Amazing mallee fowl!]</ref>
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==Nesting==
 
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Male mallee fowl spend nine to eleven months a year preparing a 3&nbsp;ft by 6&nbsp;ft (1 by 2 meters) mound - the largest mound built by the megapods<ref>http://www.australianfauna.com/malleefowl.php</ref> - that will act as an incubating [[nest]].  The lower portion consists of twigs and leaves which is left exposed to the weather; rain allows decomposition of the material.  It is then covered by a layer of sand, retaining the heat generated by the compost.  A crater in the center is then created by the female, who lays between 15 and 30 eggs (one per day) during the months of September to February, covering them with sand.  During the incubation period adult birds check the temperature of the nest using their beaks and either remove or add sand to maintain a temperature around 90 degrees [[Fahrenheit]] (33 degrees [[Celsius]]).
 
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When the eggs hatch the chicks break out of their shells, crawl through 2 feet of the nest material, and then can immediately run into scrub. Within 24 hours of hatching they can fly.  Neither parent gives their offspring any more attention or training, yet instinct alone is sufficient for them to behave exactly as their parents did as adults.
 
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==Threats==
 
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Mallee fowl had a once-extensive range over much of Australia, but the past century resulted in a decline of over 50%; southern Australia has the only remaining populations of mallee fowl, and despite numbers estimated to be well over 100,000 individual birds it is known that concentrations of birds are fragmented, with a large number of abandoned mounds.  The ICUN Red List classifies the bird as vulnerable in its remaining range, giving as threats introduced predators (foxes, feral dogs, etc.), uncontrolled wildfires, and expanding livestock grazing.<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22678646/0</ref><ref>http://www.arkive.org/malleefowl/leipoa-ocellata/</ref>  
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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{{Reflist}}
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{{reflist}}
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*Marchant, S. & P.J. Higgins, eds. ''Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, Volume 2'' - "Raptors to Lapwings". Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press (1993).
 
  
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[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Megapod Birds]]
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[[category:birds]]
 
[[Category:Australia]]
 
[[Category:Australia]]

Revision as of 12:28, January 23, 2023

The mallee fowl or malleefowl, Leipoa ocellata, is a large, ground dwelling Australian bird that has an extraordinarily precise method of reproduction.

Mallee fowl spend nine to eleven months a year preparing a 3ft by 6ft (1 metre by 2 metre) mound that will act as an incubating nest. The eggs are laid in this nest and covered by soil and vegetation. The decomposing vegetation generates heat to keep the eggs warm. During the incubation period adult birds check the temperature of the nest using their beaks and alter the composition of the mound to maintain a temperature around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius).

When the eggs hatch, the chicks break out of their shells, crawl through 2 feet of the nest material, and then can immediately run into scrub. Within 24 hours of hatching they can fly. Neither the mother nor father mallee fowl give their offspring any more attention or training, yet instinct alone is sufficient for them to behave exactly as their parents did as adults.[1]

Creationist view

A number of creationists have claimed that the mallee fowl could not have arisen by evolution, due to the requirement for everything to be working together, and the inability of evolution to create complete complex systems at once.[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.malleefowl.com.au/Malleefowl.htm
  2. ↑ Doolan, Robert, Australian bird takes temperature to survive: Amazing mallee fowl!
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