Also known as "thermometer birds," brush turkeys are one of the few species of birds that use external heat sources (rather than body heat) for egg incubation.
Only males build and tend to these extraordinary "nests," which are made up of microbial decomposition of organic matter that raises the temperature inside the mound.
Males routinely check the temperature inside the mound by digging a hole and inserting their beaks. They may then adjust the temperature by adding fresh material or removing layers.
In the wild, these birds are promiscuous with no pair bonds, and a single mound may contain up to 58 eggs laid by several females!
Chicks are precocial and hatch fully feathered. After digging their way out of the mound (which can take up to two and a half days!) they are able to fly and must survive on their own.
