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How a mound-building bird shapes its Australian ecosystem

The malleefowl has a potentially important role redistributing nutrients across the landscape

A male malleefowl looking at its mound nest

A male malleefowl admires his handiwork in Calperum Station, Australia. Malleefowl mound nests (one pictured) incubate eggs using heat from rotting vegetation.

Tim Pascoe

By Jake Buehler

- More than 2 years ago

Earthen piles built by a chicken-like bird in Australia aren’t just egg incubators — they may also be crucial for the distribution of key nutrients throughout the ecosystem.