CreatureData

Vanuatu megapode

Megapodius layardi Tristram, 1879

LCLeast Concernbirds

The vanuatu megapode (Megapodius layardi) is a species in the family Megapodiidae, order Galliformes. Recorded adults weigh about 768.6 g. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Vanuatu megapode (Megapodius layardi)
Photo: Ogilvie-Grant, W. R. (William Robert), 1863-1924 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the vanuatu megapode

Weight
768.6 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
1 countrysrc for Countries on record

Where does the vanuatu megapode live?

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

The vanuatu megapode is listed for 1 country.

Australia
  • Listed
  • Not listed
small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same countries as a list

  1. Australia

Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.

What is the vanuatu megapode?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Vanuatu megapode or Vanuatu scrubfowl (Megapodius layardi) is a species of bird in the family Megapodiidae. It was formerly known as the New Hebrides scrubfowl. It is found only in Vanuatu. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. The species is threatened by habitat loss and egg collecting.

From the Wikipedia article “Vanuatu megapode” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vanuatu_megapode&oldid=1350628737), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the vanuatu megapode endangered?

The vanuatu megapode is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the vanuatu megapode classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGalliformes
  5. familyMegapodiidae
  6. genusMegapodius
  7. SpeciesMegapodius layardi Tristram, 1879

Synonyms Megapodius brazieri, Megapodius freycinet layardi

Other names and names in other languages (40)
  • New Hebrides scrubfowlEnglish
  • New Hebrides scrubfowlEnglish
  • Vanuatu scrubfowlEnglish
  • Vanuatu scrubfowlEnglish
  • شقبان فاناتوArabic
  • megàpode de VanuatuCatalan
  • Megàpode de les VanuatuCatalan
  • tabon LayardůvCzech
  • tabon vanuatskýCzech
  • aderyn tomen LayardWelsh
  • Vanuatu BuskhøneDanish
  • LayardhuhnGerman
  • Layard-GroßfußhuhnGerman
  • Layard-HuhnGerman
  • Vanuatu-GroßfußhuhnGerman
  • vanuatua megapodoEsperanto
  • Vanuatua nestamasuloEsperanto
  • Talégalo de Nuevas HébridasSpanish
  • vanuatu rihukanaEstonian
  • پابزرگ وانوآتوPersian
  • vanuatunisojalkaFinnish
  • Mégapode de LayardFrench
  • vanuatska kokošinaCroatian
  • vanuatui ásótyúkHungarian
  • Megapodio delle VanuatuItalian
  • バヌアツツカツクリJapanese
  • Lajardo didžiakojė vištaLithuanian
  • VanuatuboshoenDutch
  • vanuatuovnhøneNorwegian
  • nogal żółtonogiPolish
  • frango-do-mato-de-vanuatuPortuguese
  • Вануатский большеногRussian
  • Вануатуйский большеногRussian
  • tabon žltonohýSlovak
  • Vanuatu megapodaSerbian
  • vanuatustorfotshönaSwedish
  • Vanuatu MegapoduTurkish
  • великоніг вануатськийUkrainian
  • 萬那度塚雉Chinese
  • 瓦努阿图塚雉Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the vanuatu megapode

Other species in the same genus Megapodius.

CompareVanuatu megapode vs Orange-footed scrubfowlVanuatu megapode vs Nicobar megapodeVanuatu megapode vs Tongan megapodeVanuatu megapode vs Philippine megapode

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the vanuatu megapode?

An adult vanuatu megapode weighs 768.6 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Where does the vanuatu megapode live?

Catalogue of Life checklists list the vanuatu megapode for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.

Is the vanuatu megapode endangered?

The vanuatu megapode is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the vanuatu megapode?

The vanuatu megapode (Megapodius layardi) belongs to the family Megapodiidae in the order Galliformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Vanuatu megapode (Megapodius layardi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/vanuatu-megapode

MLA

“Vanuatu megapode (Megapodius layardi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/vanuatu-megapode.

BibTeX
@misc{vanuatu_megapode_2026,
  title = {Vanuatu megapode (Megapodius layardi)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/vanuatu-megapode},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}