"....Once upon a time, in the year late 1700AD there were sailors and explorers babbling about a strange bird that is not Big but small like a fowl but have Big Feet. It digs deep holes in the ground with their powerful legs, lays the eggs and build a mound about the size of a Kancil car! It also measures and control the mound's temperature by adding and/or removing organic materials for the right warmth doing all that with only their large feet! After a few weeks,the hatchlings just flies off from these deep holes! No other kinds of bird does that except for reptiles such as crocodiles........."
Welcome to the stranger part of Birding. As a beginer and have also bought up many books on Asian Birds, I have not heards of such birds described as above. A Bird behaving like a reptile?
Strange but true.
This is the Tabon Megapode (Megapodius cumingii) or in Malaysia, we call it Ayam Tambun.
( These above story is by Ms Ravinder Kaur and pix by Alim Biun)
This bird exists and is proudly found in Borneo, Malaysia. Sadly, it is fast dissapearing and have been listed as in 2008 IUCN Red List Catagory. A Danger warning of fast dissapearence and near extinction!!!
In this month's volume of The Malaysian Naturalist, Ravinder Kaur's story on our bigfoot is an eye opener to me as I have not yet have the orportunity to see one alive, yet! Alim Biun's photos are excellent because it gave me a better understanding what this megapode is all about.
Malaysian is still a home to so many fauna and flora that need studying and with the fast dissapearance of our forrests, we may lose many more especially the ones we have not even named them!!!
Quickly go get a copy of this June's publication of the Malaysian Nature Soceity (MNS) today or better still, be a member and help to preserve our national treasures before they are all gone. Just log on to:-http://www.mns.org.my/ attention to Leong Wee Chin and says (Donald G.H Tan sent you!!!!)
Another lovely photograph is by Jake Atonson which he took on 23rd December 2006.
His web page is at http://www.pbase/kaukulator/image/72306239 Many thanks to him.
(psssst....further down the mag, Laura is whispering about 'spitting spiders'! No, not that weird chap across the bar counter...!!!)
R.E.M.I.N.D.E.R !
The Fraser's Hill International Bird Race is ON this coming weekend . Be There!
See You There! Enjoy!
.JPG)
