Waigeo brushturkey

Waigeo brushturkey
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Megapodiidae
Genus: Aepypodius
Species:
A. bruijnii
Binomial name
Aepypodius bruijnii
(Oustalet, 1880)

The Waigeo brushturkey (Aepypodius bruijnii) or Bruijn's brushturkey, is a large (approximately 43 cm long) brownish-black megapode with a bare red facial skin, red comb, maroon rump, and chestnut brown below. There are two elongated red wattles on the back of the head and a long wattle on the foredeck. Both sexes are similar. The female has a smaller comb and no wattles.

An Indonesian endemic, the Waigeo brushturkey inhabits mountain forests on Waigeo Island of West Papua.

Previously known from less than twenty-five specimens, this little-known species was relocated in 2002. The name commemorates the Dutch merchant Anton August Bruijn.

This bird is threatened by hunting, ongoing habitat loss, small population size, and a limited range. It was formerly classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN.[2] But new research has shown it to be rarer than it was believed. Consequently, it was uplifted to Endangered status in 2008.[3]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Aepypodius bruijnii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22678559A92778607. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22678559A92778607.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ BLI (2004)
  3. ^ BLI (2008)
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