This is a short overview of the Megapode Resort in Port Blair in the Andaman Islands where I stayed. The folks there are very nice, and I recommend staying there if you are in Port Blair.

Dr. Daryl Jones tries to catch a Brush Turkey.

Ornithologist Dr. Daryl Jones "stalks" a Brush Turkey.

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a species of lizard that inhabits the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Gili Dasami, in central Indonesia.[2] A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 2--3 meters (approximately 6.5--10 ft) and weighing around 70 kilograms (154 lb). Their unusual size is attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live, and also to the Komodo dragon's low metabolic rate.[3][4] As a result of their size, these lizards are apex predators, dominating the ecosystems in which they live.[5] Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and big mammals. Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About twenty eggs are deposited in abandoned megapode nests and incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful. Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell in trees, safe from predators and cannibalistic adults. They take around three to five years to mature, and may live as long as fifty years. They are capable of parthenogenesis, in which viable eggs are laid without fertilization by a male. Komodo dragons were discovered by Western scientists in 1910. Their large size and fearsome reputation makes them popular zoo exhibits. In the wild their range has contracted due to human activities and they are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. They are protected under Indonesian law, and a national park, Komodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts. The Komodo dragon is also known as the Komodo Monitor or the Komodo Island Monitor in scientific literature, although this is not very common.[1] To the natives of Komodo Island, it is referred to as ora, buaja durat (land crocodile) or biawak raksasa (giant monitor).[6][7]

Whimpy's Malleefowl - Charley.

The aracuan bird ravin to jesus on cheese... The Aracuan Bird is a character created by The Walt Disney Company. The Aracuan, is also called the Clown of the Jungle and first appeared in the feature film The Three Caballeros (1945); though, despite his apparent on-screen popularity, strangely he did not appear in the comic book adaptation of that film. During the segment "Aves Raras" (or "rare birds") Donald Duck is watching a film about South American birds when the film's narrator introduces the Aracuan as "one of the most eccentric birds you have ever seen." The Aracuan proceeds to walk right out of the film along the projectors' light beam and into Donald's life. This crazy bird drives Donald nuts not only in this film, but again in the cartoon short "Clown of the Jungle" (1947), and then once more in the feature film Melody Time segment called "Blame it on the Samba" (1948) where he attempts to cheer up the "blue" (literally) Donald Duck and Jose Carioca. Like Panchito Pistoles and Jose Carioca, the Aracuan's presence is primarily known only from these three films in the USA. However, he has found some success in comics from Brazil where he is known as Folião. More recently the Aracuan Bird has appeared in Mickey Mouse Works and Disney's House of Mouse. He causes hilarious practical jokes and dons various disguises (including posing as Donald Duck), and most of the gags are highly impossible. Often Donald is shown trying to take a photo of the bird, with it evading his efforts. The crazy Aracuan, with its flaming red hair, hot pink face and fluorescent yellow feet, appears at first to be a completely fictional creation. However, there actually is a South American bird called the Araucuan (note the slightly different spelling). The araucuan is the local name for the eastern Brazilian sub-species of the Speckled Chachalaca (Ortalis guttata). Chachalacas are moderately large tree-dwelling birds that belong the Cracid family which also include guans and curassows. Cracids are related to other galliformes, such as turkeys, and also share some characteristics with megapodes (such as the Australian malleefowl and brush-turkey). The very name 'chachalaca' refers to the noisy call of the bird, well-known in Brazil. Around dawn, groups emit hoarse screams and "arapapiyas" that are similar to those produced by the Aracuan bird in the Disney movie. However, the physical appearance of the bird is quite different, with a long tail, drab plumage and a much shorter beak.