Brush turkey fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are brush turkeys?

Brush turkeys are large ground-dwelling birds found in rainforests, wet forests, bushland and suburban gardens along the east coast of Australia. Their scientific name is Alectura lathami. They are also called Australian brush-turkeys, bush turkeys or scrub turkeys. Despite their name, they are not closely related to the turkeys people eat.

Brush turkeys are a type of bird called a megapode, which means “big feet”. Their strong legs and sharp claws help them scratch through leaf litter searching for food and building enormous nesting mounds. Adult males are easy to recognise because they have a bright yellow wattle hanging beneath their neck and a bald red head.

Brush turkeys are becoming more common in Sydney bushland, parks and backyards. Students visiting places like Field of Mars Reserve and Lane Cove National Park may spot them scratching through leaf litter, crossing tracks or standing on top of their large nesting mounds.

A brush turkey.

The male brush turkey has a yellow wattle under his neck.

Where do brush turkeys live?

Brush turkeys live along the east coast of Australia from far north Queensland to parts of New South Wales. They are most common in rainforests, wet eucalypt forests and dense bushland with thick leaf litter. In Sydney, they are increasingly found in suburban gardens, parks and reserves where there is shelter, mulch and leaf litter for scratching and mound building.

Students may see brush turkeys in places such as Lane Cove National Park and Field of Mars Reserve. During the day they usually stay on the ground searching for food, but they fly into trees at night to roost safely above predators. Their sideways-flattened tail helps them balance when perched in branches.

Brush turkeys are common in bushland, parks and suburban gardens around Sydney.

What do brush turkeys eat?

Brush turkeys are omnivores that feed mostly on the ground. They scratch through leaf litter using their powerful feet to uncover insects, spiders, worms, seeds, fallen fruit and other small animals. They also break apart rotting logs while searching for food.

Their feeding behaviour helps turn over leaf litter and recycle nutrients back into the soil. By disturbing the leaf litter, brush turkeys also help spread seeds and support healthy forest ecosystems. In suburban areas they sometimes search through compost, mulch and gardens looking for food.

Brush turkeys scratch through leaf litter searching for insects and seeds.

What do brush turkeys sound like?

Brush turkeys are usually quiet birds, but they can make deep booming or “bock bock” sounds, especially during the breeding season. Males use these sounds while defending their mound or attracting females.

Students are more likely to hear brush turkeys scratching loudly through dry leaves than calling. Their heavy feet can make quite a noise while they rake leaf litter into huge nesting mounds.

What is the life cycle of brush turkeys?

Brush turkeys have one of the most unusual breeding systems of any Australian bird. During the breeding season, usually from August to March, the male builds a huge mound from leaves, soil and other organic material. The mound can grow as large as a small car. Several females may lay eggs inside the same mound.

As the leaves and plant material rot, they produce heat which incubates the eggs. The male carefully checks the mound temperature using his beak and adjusts the mound by adding or removing material. After about seven weeks, chicks hatch underground and must dig themselves out without help from their parents.

Brush turkey chicks are fully feathered when they hatch and can run and fly within hours. They hide in shrubs and ground cover while learning to survive on their own. Young brush turkeys do not develop their bright adult wattles until they become mature.

Male brush turkeys build mounds help to keep eggs warm.

The life stages of a brush turkey – egg, chick and adult.

Brush turkey chicks are small, brown and fluffy.

What adaptations do brush turkeys have to help them survive?

Brush turkeys have strong legs and large claws that work like garden rakes. These adaptations help them scratch through leaf litter searching for food and move enormous amounts of material while building nesting mounds. Their feet are so powerful that a male can shift tonnes of leaves and soil during the breeding season.

Their dark feathers help camouflage them in shaded bushland environments. Brush turkeys are also strong runners and can fly short distances into trees when threatened. Chicks hatch highly developed compared with many other birds, allowing them to survive without parental care almost immediately after leaving the mound.

Brush turkeys use their hard, pointed beak to pick up invertebrates, seeds and berries.

Why are brush turkeys important?

Brush turkeys play an important role in forest ecosystems. Their scratching behaviour turns over leaf litter, helping nutrients mix into the soil and supporting decomposition. This process helps plants grow and creates healthier habitats for many other organisms.

Brush turkeys are also part of local food webs. They eat insects and other small animals, helping manage populations of invertebrates. Their eggs and chicks provide food for predators such as goannas and snakes. In Sydney bushland, brush turkeys are an increasingly familiar example of native wildlife adapting to urban environments.

Brush turkeys are also important in the cultural knowledge and stories of Aboriginal Peoples in different parts of Australia. Brush turkeys and their eggs were traditional food sources for some Aboriginal groups.

Brush turkeys are an important part of natural environments.

How can you help brush turkeys?

Brush turkeys are protected native birds and should not be harmed or fed. Human food can make them sick and may cause them to become aggressive around people. Leaving natural bushland areas undisturbed helps provide safe habitat for brush turkeys and many other native animals.

If a brush turkey builds a mound in a garden, people can protect some areas using low fencing or mesh rather than destroying active nests. Leaving leaf litter, shrubs and native plants in gardens can also provide shelter and feeding habitat for wildlife. Students can help by observing brush turkeys respectfully and learning more about native ecosystems.

Native gardens can provide shelter and food for brush turkeys and other wildlife.

Related fact sheets

More bird fact sheets

• Bird fact sheets – Explore more Australian bird fact sheets.
• Birds fact sheet – Learn about bird features, life cycles and adaptations.
• Australian magpie fact sheet – Compare another ground-feeding Australian bird.
• Australian raven fact sheet – Learn about another large black bird found in Sydney.
• White ibis fact sheet – Discover another native bird that has adapted to urban environments.
• Powerful owl fact sheet – Find out about a large forest predator.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – Discover the ground-layer habitat where brush turkeys search for food.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – Explore a bushland ecosystem that supports native birds.
• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Learn more about this local Sydney bushland environment.

Animals that share this habitat

• Red-bellied black snake fact sheet – Learn about another animal found in Sydney bushland.
• Eastern water skink fact sheet – Discover a ground-dwelling reptile that also hunts in leaf litter.
• Red-crowned toadlet fact sheet – Explore a small frog that depends on leaf litter and sandstone bushland.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Invertebrates fact sheet – Explore some of the small animals brush turkeys eat.
• Grasshopper fact sheet – Learn about an insect that forms part of bushland food webs.
• Land hopper fact sheet – Discover a leaf-litter animal that helps recycle nutrients.

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