Megapodius laperouse Wharton and Hardcastle, Journ. Parasitology, 32, 1946, p. 294 (Garakayo).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Palau Islands—Babelthuap, Koror, Auror, Kayangel, Garakayo, Ngesebus, Peleliu, Ngabad, Gayangas, Arumidin.
Characters.—Adult: A small megapode with top of head near "mouse gray"; forehead, sides of face and neck, chin, and throat thinly covered with feathers of the same color; mantle and upper breast grayish-black becoming dark olive-brown on wings; lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts dark brown; tail blackish-brown; underparts grayish-brown, lighter on midline of belly; under wings dark brown; exposed skin of head reddish to yellowish-red; bill yellowish, basally blackish; legs yellowish; feet and claws black; iris tan.
Measurements.—Measurements of three adult males: wing, 178, 182, 188; tail, 55, 63; culmen, 22.7, 23.3; tarsus, 55, 56, 57; of seven adult females: wing, 171-189 (182); tail, 46-68 (58); culmen, 25-30 (27); tarsus, 45-60 (55). Takatsukasa (1932:14) lists the following measurements: males—wing, 176-181; tail, 59-67; culmen, 25.5-26.0; tarsus, 58-61; females—wing, 177-187; tail, 62-68; culmen, 24.0-26.0; tarsus, 55-58.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 23 (11 males, 8 females, 4 unsexed), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Koror, 1 (Nov. 28)—Garakayo, 5 (Sept. 17, 18, 19)—Peleliu, 2 (Aug. 31, Sept. 1)—Ngabad, 1 (Sept. 11); AMNH—Palau, 16 (Nov., Dec., not dated).
Nesting.—The megapodes do not incubate their eggs, but the female deposits them in a moundlike structure of sand, volcanic ash, and forest litter or some other type of soil in which there is warmth sufficient to hatch the eggs after an extended period (perhaps 40 days or more) without further attention from the parent bird. The young dig out and lead an independent existence. Several megapodes may utilize one nest site, which ordinarily is at a low elevation near a beach or lagoon.
The NAMRU2 party obtained two downy chicks at Gayakayo Island on September 18 and 19, 1945. A female taken on September 1 at Peleliu contained large eggs. Coultas obtained two chicks (one in postnatal molt) in November and December, 1931. Kubary, as quoted by Takatsukasa (1932:15), says that eggs may be found in the mounds throughout the year at Palau but are found most numerously in the south-east monsoon (April to November). Yamashina (1932a:412) reports on eggs taken in 1932 as follows: eight eggs from Auror Island on January 15; one egg from Ngesebus Island on January 16; and four eggs from Peleliu Island on January 16. Takatsukasa (1932:15) states that eggs are most numerous in the mounds in the months of May and June. The chicks obtained by NAMRU2 in September were of such a size as to suggest that they too had been laid in June.
Takatsukasa (1932:15) comments, "Whilst Dr. Yaichir[=o] Okada was in the Pelew Group, he found two nests on Kajangel Island, which is an uninhabited island about twelve sea-miles southeast of the island of Malacal. He says that he found two nests, one of which was obsolete and the other was in use.
The first one was oval in shape; the diameter of the largest part was twenty-four feet, and the smallest part was twenty feet, and it had a height of four feet. The second one was fan-shaped, as an obstacle existed at one side of the nest, and its diameter was twelve feet and the height was a little more than four feet, and the native whom he asked to dig out the eggs got three. One of the eggs contained a well-advanced embryo and the others were not so advanced as the first one. This distance from the top of the mound to the spot where the eggs were laid was about two and a half feet, and the natives made a great deal of effort to get these eggs. These nests were found in the bush by the natives." The NAMRU2 party observed a mound on Ngabad Island, a small islet near Peleliu, on September 11. It was much like those described by Takatsukasa, being approximately six feet high and some twelve or fifteen feet across. It was not excavated.