Maleo

The Bird That Can Fly The Moment It Hatches

Beneath the red hot sand of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi 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.

Yet no parent watches over it. 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. It is a maleo. More remarkable still is that when it emerges the chick will already be able to fly.