Birds are owning the beach

Maleo birds dig holes in the ground to lay eggs so that the hot temperature from the volcano reaches the hatching eggs. Young hatched after hatching out of the ground and can run, fly immediately.

This particular bird lives in Sulawesi Island (Indonesia) in the amount of about 5,000-10,000.

The maleo bird (Macrocephalon maleo) is about the same size as the chicken (average length of 55 cm) with a black helmet-like forehead. They have black back, pink belly, yellow face, dark orange beak.

Unlike many other birds, Maleo does not use her body temperature to hatch eggs but they "use" natural elements. They bury eggs in sand or hot soil (by receiving heat from the sun or volcano) to incubate eggs.

Immediately, Maleo 's construction also shows the "intelligence " of this bird. A pair of parents using their feet dig a deep hole in the nesting area. Then the female will lay eggs in the hole, then remove the sand to cover the eggs so that the temperature of the Sun or volcano is warm .

However, this bird does not have to dig up a nesting hole in a chaotic way. They also have the ability to detect the temperature of a sand or soil sample by repeatedly using the "tasting" mouth. Studies show that if the soil layer is found to have a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius, they will not continue digging and let the female lay eggs.Eggs are also arranged vertically staggered in holes .

The arrangement of such eggs allows after the eggs hatch, the young birds can crawl through the sand easily and run into the forest. They can fly and live completely independently like finding food, protecting themselves from predators like lizards, pythons, pigs and wild cats.

About 2-3 months later, the parents returned to the old nest area to re-create the nest and continue to lay eggs here. The process of digging, laying eggs, filling eggs and leaving like that keeps happening in each pair of parents at the same nesting place dozens of times.

Maleo bird eggs are nearly 5 times larger than chicken eggs . Maleo is now listed as one of the most endangered species. To protect the bird, Indonesia established a reserve and hired villagers to take care of the Maleo bird.

The American Nature Conservation Association collaborated with an environmental organization in Indonesia to buy and protect a 14-hectare beach in the northern island of Sulawesi - where there are about 40 Maleo birds. The two organizations spent $ 12,500 to buy the beach. They hope this deal will help male maleo escape from extinction .

'Protecting the beach will help us raise people's awareness of maleo birds. This is very important, because people are the biggest threat to them. Ordinary people dig maleo bird eggs for food , 'said John Tasirin, who coordinates the maleo bird protection program of the Nature Conservation Association on Sulawesi.

Martin Fowlie, an expert with BirdLife International, said the number of maleo birds is decreasing, so every effort to protect them is valuable.