The Maleo Macrocephalon maleo: New information on the distribution and status of Sulawesi's endemic megapode

Abstract

The Maleo Conservation Project Phase II surveyed the distribution and status of Maleonesting grounds in and around Dumoga-Bone National Park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 1990–1991. The number of known nesting grounds is now 83, 35 inland and 48 coastal, while 18 sites require confirmation. Most sites along this coast are now abandoned or severely threatened (many now being cut off from adjacent forest), and the population there is estimated at only 335–740 pairs. The region's inland nesting grounds, used by putatively 2,000 pairs, are also increasingly threatened, notably through egg exploitation. An average of 5·45 birds per day visited one inland nesting ground, Tambun, over a 10-month period, indicating usage by 160 pairs altogether. © 1994, Birdlife International. All rights reserved.