| The clutch size varies from two to about two dozen, the largest number occurring in megapodes. |
| Many, if not most, quail and partridge are monogamous, as are ptarmigan, guinea fowl, the hoatzin, some pheasant, and those megapodes and cracids that have been studied. |
| What sets megapodes apart from these game birds is their extraordinary breeding behavior. |
| Young megapodes, extremely precocious at hatching, dig their way to the surface and forage for themselves. |
| Some megapodes place their eggs in shallow pits or burrows to be warmed geothermally or with sun-warmed sand. |
| The megapodes bury their eggs in relatively isolated pockets, where the conditions are right for incubation, making them susceptible to humans and other predators. |
