My Science School

       The kagu is endemic to the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia. The kagu had an important role in the traditional lives of the Kanak tribes of the place. It has long legs and a crest. Bluish-grey in colour, the bird looks like a cross between a heron and a crane.

       The nasal corns of the bird cover its nostrils. This feature is not shared by any other bird in the world. The bird measures 55 centimetres in length and is almost flightless. It spends most of its time near the forest floor, where it hunts its prey and builds nests with sticks. The kagu is endangered mainly due to habitat loss; its population is somewhat between 250 and 1000.

Picture Credit : Google

          The maleo is a stocky bird like a chicken, with a small head and large feet. It has blackish plumage, bare yellow facial skin, reddish-brown iris, reddish-orange beak and a rosy salmon breast. The bird has a crown ornamented with a black casque.

          The maleo is counted as an endangered species today. It was found that these birds were abandoning a large number of their former nesting sites because of egg poaching and encroachment of land for agriculture. Only about four of the known 142 nesting grounds of the maleo birds are considered safe today.

          The maleo is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. While the bird likes to forage in the tropical lowland and hill forests, it likes to nest in the open sandy areas, volcanic soils, or beaches that are heated by the sun or geothermal energy for incubation.

Picture Credit : Google