For birdwatchers, several hundred species call India home, including the rare narcondum hornbill, megapode, and griffon vulture. |
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All megapode species, except the Malleefowl, live in tropical humid broadleaf forests. |
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Laid in burrows or under mounds, megapode eggs are incubated by the warmth of the sun, rotting vegetation, or volcanic vents. |
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Maleos belong to the megapode family, whose members rely on heat from sources other than their bodies to incubate their very large eggs. |
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The work we do with maleos both at the zoo and in the field can provide a model for conservation of other megapode species. |
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Nevertheless Misool harbours five endemic bird subspecies among a diverse and colorful lowland forest avifauna and is totally unique in supporting four species of megapode or incubatorbirds. |
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