noun
- a large ground-dwelling bird of the family Megapodiidae that builds mounds of vegetation or sand to incubate its eggs
Usage: zoology
Examples
- The malleefowl is a well-known megapod found in Australia.
- Megapods are unique among birds for their unusual nesting behavior.
- The megapod carefully tends to its large incubation mound.
- Scientists studied how megapods regulate the temperature of their egg mounds.
- Unlike most birds, megapods do not sit on their eggs to keep them warm.
- The brush-turkey is another example of a megapod species.