scrub fowl

I am now back in Darwin for a week. These unique birds have always amused me. They are very timid- this was the closest I could get to this busy pair. The photo is not very good, but definitely gives the size of "nest" and the devotedness of the parent birds.
Male and female Orange-footed Scrubfowl form permanent pair bonds. Both birds work at building very large incubation mounds of decaying vegetable matter. Heat generated by the decaying humus provides the heat source for the incubation of their eggs. No parental care is provided for the newly hatched chicks who look after themselves entirely and are capable of flight shortly after digging themselves out of the incubation mound.The chicks are fully feathered when they hatch.
Pairs are highly territorial and will vigorously defend their territory against intruding neighbours.