Micronesian Megapode

Megapodius laperouse Gaimard, 1823

Micronesian Megapode, Megapodius laperouse, is a bird of Palau and the Northern Mariana Islands in the western Pacific, with Guam now extinct. It belongs to the megapodes and was described by Gaimard in 1823. It is tied to isolated offshore islets and, where it occurs on larger islands, it can also use inland higher ground. The species is rare and localised in the Marianas, with a small remnant on Saipan and a few hundred on Sarigan. The nominate Marianas form is especially at risk of vanishing.

Order

Galliformes

Family

Megapodiidae — Megapodes

Breeding range

Pacific Ocean: Palau (w Caroline Is.), Northern Mariana Is. and Guam (where extinct; w Micronesia)