| Lesser-known members of the order are the megapodes and the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. |
| What sets megapodes apart from these game birds is their extraordinary breeding behavior. |
| Instead of using body heat to directly incubate eggs, megapodes passively incubate eggs. |
| The megapodes bury their eggs in relatively isolated pockets, where the conditions are right for incubation, making them susceptible to humans and other predators. |
| 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. |
