We Hatch, We Fly – the Bizarre Maleo

The Maleo bird of Sulawesi has a unique way of looking after its young – if looking after is how it could be described.  It buries its eggs and abandons them, having nothing more to do with their rearing.  The chicks, however, have a trick up their sleeve.  As soon as they hatch and emerge in to the sunlight they are, amazingly, able to fly.

Beneath the red hot sand of an Indonesian island’s beach something stirs. A large egg is hatching and soon the newborn creature will dig its way out to the surface and take its first gulps of fresh air. This sounds as if it should be a young turtle, thrusting its flippers sideways as it makes its desperate lurch towards the ocean. It is not, however. This is a bird. More remarkable still is that when it emerges the chick will already be able to fly.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by taliesyn30.