When visiting Sydney with me one summer, my granddaughter, Tyler, had taken a liking to the bush turkey that would roam around our neighbor's front yard.
She named him 'Albert.'
Albert, the brush turkey I snapped this picture for my granddaughter, Tyler, in 2018
With Thanksgiving in America fast approaching, I think about the holiday every time I see Albert, so I wanted to share a few interesting facts about what makes him such a peculiar bird.
So, in celebration of Thanksgiving, let's talk turkey!
Properly known as 'brush turkeys,' 'bush turkeys,' or 'scrub turkeys,' the bird's physical characteristics include: large feet, long legs, black plumage, a broad flat tail, a bright red featherless head, and a neck wattle, which is a saggingflap of skin hanging under their chin.
Male Brush Turkey. I took a photo at Castle Cove Public School after chasing it turkey down for 5 minutes. I gave up, and he walked right to me!
The wattle helps release heat from the turkey's bare neck on hot days.
During their breeding season, which runs from August through February, there is an increase in blood flow to the turkey's wattle, causing it to become larger and brighter - a definite attraction for female turkeys.
They resemble ordinary turkeys, but; just because they look like a turkey, walk like a turkey, and are called a turkey, doesn't mean they're turkeys!
They're megapodes - ancient Australian terrestrial fowl-like birds with sharp claws and large feet.
Megapodes are big birds, and the brush turkey is one of the biggest.
The male weighs between 11 to 24 pounds, and the females weigh 5 to 12.
Although megapodes belong to the order Galliformes, they are NOT directly related to turkeys, especially the American variety.
So, who decided to call these birds 'turkeys'?
No one knows for sure. As for why, my money is on the resemblance.
Castle Cove Public School - the kids in the background are my grandson and his friends.
Megapodes are incubator birds or mound builders.
During their breeding period, the male spends months constructing a massive mound out of leaves, mulch, dirt and sticks to attract females to the nest.
It takes time, dedication, and a solid commitment to stick with such a challenging project like constructing a turkey mound.
But the bush turkey doesn’t have to think about it because he does it instinctively.
Brush turkey is starting a mound video.
Shot by my daughter's mother-in-law, Judy.
This turkey diligently working on the mound.
Once the nest is ready, the male waits for a female he can entice to lay her eggs, but the female chooses into which nest she will deposit her 18 - 24 eggs, and more than one may select the same mound.
Surveying the mound with Judy and grandson Jethro talking in the background.
Although, sometimes, the female will stick around for a short time.
Ultimately, the male's job is to protect the nest, and she knows it!
Female brush turkey at Castle Cove Public School, striking a pose..
As the mound vegetation decomposes, it creates heat that rises from the bottom up to nurture the eggs.
The temperature must reach around 91 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and be maintained throughout the 50-day incubation period.
Brush turkey nest in Sydney
Both male and female megapodes have heat sensors in their beaks which are used to monitor the mound's temperature — sort of like a built-in thermometer.
If the temp drops, the bush turkey stirs, shifts move around, and adds more vegetation to the pile to restart the rotting process - like putting more logs on a fire.
Typical mounds can be as large as 13 feet wide and 6 feet high.
This brush turkey seems to be patrolling the mound from the other side of the fence
These large mounds on either side of a fence were compliments of my daughter, Lyndsi.
The male protects the eggs against his natural predators, like snakes, dingoes, feral pigs, lizards, and dogs.
He also protects the mound from other male turkeys that may try to claim the compost for themselves.
The male bush turkey's work is complete once the turkey chicks hatch.
At that time, he, too, deserts the nest.
Without assistance, the turkey chicks struggle to escape the debris pile.
They are left alone to fend for themselves, which they do very well since they hatch fully feathered, can walk immediately, and within a few hours, fly.
They learn what to eat by trial and error.
Brush turkey walking away in my neighborhood
Fully grown brush turkeys can fly short distances and go as high as 50 feet.
But mostly they stick close to the ground.
When not walking, they roost in trees and hang out on deck railings or fences, which I find very interesting, having just realized that wild turkeys can fly.
Brush turkey in a tree
Brush turkey on a deck railing - this shot was taken while looking through a window.
The brush turkey's diet consists of seeds, worms, insects, and fallen fruit.
They are messy eaters, which is both good and bad.
As they scratch and comb through leaf litter for food, they kick up and spread around native vegetation seeds.
Because they prey on garden insects, they help to reduce the pest population - well, some of them!
No one creature can rid Australia of all of its pesky insects.
They also break open rotting logs to find hiding bugs, leaving behind a mess of wood chip debris.
Homeowners consider brush turkeys pests and find their eating and nesting habits destructive, especially those with manicured lawns.
Their sharp claws scrape the ground, uproot plants, and destroy beautiful gardens, ovals (parks), and natural pathways.
Brush turkeys are shy and wary of people but have adapted to them.
One strolled right past a crowd of parents, children, and me one day when I picked up my grandson, Jethro, from his school, where these birds are often found wandering.
Brush turkey at Castle Cove Public School
Brush turkeys at Castle Cove Public School - 2022
Although I often see only one solitary brush turkey, a small flock may assemble in open feeding areas.
Brush turkeys at Admiralty House, Sydney Harbor - 2022
