Monday, August 06, 2007

Sorry they're a protected species




The scrub or brush turkey is a permanent inhabitant of the patches of rain forest on and around Tamborine Mountain. The male scrub turkey builds a large egg incubating mound by scratching together leaf mulch and twigs from a large area into a mound typically 4m in diameter and 1-1.5 m high. After attracting the females to mate and lay their eggs in the mound, the male then tends the mound, removing or adding composting material to keep the eggs at the right temperature for incubation which happens after about 50 days. After incubation, the chick is on its own!

The scrub turkey can be a menace in the garden as it scratches around garden beds looking for grubs and roots. However, this isn't as bad as when a turkey decides to build a mound in your garden. Nothing short of forced transportation to a new location miles away will stop the bird from scratching together every loose item in a circle up to 50m in diameter!
The early settlers did eat the birds, but they are, of course, now protected.
Theres only one option left Patty you'll have to move house

1 comment:

Beecham Motors said...

SHOOTS BUSH TURKEY!!