Maleo Bird of Sulawesi: Where to See the Endangered Megapode

The Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) is an endangered bird found only on Sulawesi. It never sits on its eggs. The female digs a hole near a volcanic vent or on a sun-warmed beach, buries a single large egg in it, then leaves. The chick hatches alone, digs its way to the surface and can fly within hours. For most visitors, the best place to see one is Bakiriang, a nesting ground in Central Sulawesi on the Tompotika Peninsula.

Maleo facts

• Size: about as big as a small turkey
• Range: Sulawesi only
• Eggs: one per breeding cycle, buried in warm ground
• Nest sites: one site can stay in use for generations
• Status: endangered, with perhaps 8,000 to 14,000 adults left
• Threats: loss of habitat, and egg collecting in the past
• Where it nests: a small number of protected sites in North, Central and Southeast Sulawesi

A bird that lets the earth do the work

The Maleo is a megapode, a member of the family Megapodiidae. People also call megapodes "mound-builders". Most birds warm their eggs with their own bodies. Megapodes rely on heat from their surroundings.

The Maleo uses two heat sources. One is geothermal heat from volcanic vents. The other is sand that the tropical sun has warmed. The bird picks spots where the ground stays at the right temperature for the embryo to grow.

The egg is huge. It holds about five times as much as a hen's egg and weighs 240 to 270 grams. Compared with the size of the parent, it is one of the largest eggs of any bird.

The chick is on its own from the start. Biologists call chicks that are mobile at birth precocial. The Maleo is an extreme case. A chick hatches with full feathers, can fly within hours and gets no help from its parents at all.

Three nesting sites you can visit

Bakiriang, Tompotika Peninsula, Central Sulawesi. This is the easiest site to reach and the best run. A community hatchery here is managed by the Yayasan Sahabat Maleo, the Friends of the Maleo. Over the last 15 years, the project has recorded a strong recovery in Maleo numbers. Visitors are welcome if they arrange the trip in advance.

Saluki, Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi. Maleo nest here beside volcanic vents inside the park. Reaching the site takes a trek of several days with rangers, and few people make it.

Tambun, in North Sulawesi's Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park. A nesting site on the coast, managed for conservation. Allow two days for the trip from Manado.

Go to each site with a guide and a local community contact. None of them is a casual stop.

A visit to Bakiriang

At a managed site such as Bakiriang, the visit follows a set pattern:

1. You arrive at the rangers' station in the morning.
2. A guide walks you to the nesting ground, usually an open patch of warm sand. Maleo come and go all day to lay, and laying an egg takes several hours.
3. You watch from a distance. The birds are nervous and will not lay if people disturb them.
4. You visit the hatchery. Staff incubate rescued eggs under controlled conditions and release the chicks into the nearby forest.

Allow half a day. At the time of writing, site fees were about €5 to €10 and guide fees about €12 to €19. The money pays for the conservation work.

Why conservationists focus on the Maleo

The Maleo plays the same role for Sulawesi conservation that the orangutan plays for Borneo: it is a flagship species. Its future depends on protecting geothermal nesting grounds. Farming, mining and informal egg collecting all put pressure on those same places.

Where Maleo conservation works, local communities usually lead it. Projects pay villagers to guard eggs instead of taking them. They support hatcheries. They also build protection of nesting grounds into wider decisions on land use.

The Bakiriang project is often named as one of Indonesia's best examples of community-led conservation. Since it began, its hatchery has released more than 20,000 chicks.

Best time to go

Maleo lay eggs all year. Laying peaks in the dry season, May to October, when the soil is warmer and drier and better for incubation. Visit in those months for the best chance of seeing a bird lay.

Adding a Maleo site to your trip

• Bakiriang: fits a Central Sulawesi route through Palu, Lore Lindu, Bakiriang and the Togean Islands. Add two nights.
• Tambun: fits a North Sulawesi dive trip through Bunaken, Tambun and Tangkoko. Add one night.

Seeing a Maleo is harder than ticking off a tarsier or a macaque. It takes effort to reach the sites. For travellers with a real interest in wildlife, especially birders, it is one of the most rewarding encounters with a single species in eastern Indonesia.