noun
- Any of various large Australian birds of the family Megapodiidae that build large mounds of earth and vegetation in which to incubate their eggs.
Usage: Also called megapode; Primarily Australian; Natural history term
Examples
- The moundbird constructs an enormous mound to regulate the temperature for its eggs.
- Researchers studied how the moundbird monitors the heat inside its nesting mound.
- Unlike most birds, the moundbird does not sit on its eggs to keep them warm.
- The Australian moundbird relies on decomposing vegetation to generate heat for incubation.