Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) ©NowPublic

Macrocephalon Maleo – The Mute Missionary… ~ by a j mithra

The Maleo, Macrocephalon maleo, is a medium-sized (approximately 55cm long) blackish megapode with bare yellow facial skin, reddish-brown iris, reddish-orange beak and rosy salmon underparts. The crown is ornamented with a black helmet casque. The greyish blue feet have four long sharp claws, separated by a membranous web. The sexes are almost identical with a slightly smaller and duller female.

Voice several different vocalisations, including extraordinary loud braying, series of disyllabic rolls, and, in disputes, a duck-like quacking. Usually shy and often silent, except around nesting grounds, where occasionally crepuscular or nocturnal.

What can we learn from these birds? Silence?

• Well, silence is the most powerful language..
• If Jesus had not been silent on the cross, we wouldn’t have had redemption..
• His silence has given us the assurance of life eternal…
• How silent are we during our prayer time?
• God says that there is a time to talk and a time to be silent…

Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) ©©Wong Dermayu

The God who created us in His own image is able to turn our silence into a powerful weapon you know?

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. Isaiah 41:1
Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. Zechariah 2:13

Like these birds, we as body of Christ need to be crepuscular and nocturnal as well..

• David sought the Lord at all times and that was the reason he won favour from the Lord..
• How is our relationship with God?
• Do we seek Him at all times are only in times of trouble?

…….I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1

The only member of the monotypic genus Macrocephalon, the Maleo is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The Maleo is monogamous, and members of a pair stay close to each other all the time. Its diet consists mainly of fruits, seeds, ants, termites, beetles and other small invertebrates..

Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) egg©©Wong Dermayu

It is found in the tropical lowland and hill forests, but nests in the open sandy areas, volcanic soils or beaches that are heated by the sun or geothermal energy for incubation. There are also megapode species that use fermenting compost to incubate their eggs. The Maleo’s egg is large, about five times as large as that of the domestic chicken’s.

Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) pair digging©Mongabay.com

The female lays and covers each egg in a deep hole in the sand and allows the incubation to take place through solar or volcanic heating. After the eggs hatch, the young birds work their way up through the sand and hide in the forest. The young birds are able to fly and are totally independent. They must find food and defend themselves from predators such as lizards, pythons wild pigs or cats.

• Though these birds live close to active volcanoes, they still survive..
• They did not run away from the heat of the volcano..
• In fact they use the heat of the sand to incubate their eggs..
• You may be in the midst of a hot situation..

Remember:

• That God is not bent upon burning us but He wants to show how much He cares for us..
• The same God who walked with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is still alive and is still an unchanging God..
• Joseph’s brother did evil, but God turned him into a blessing to his brothers…

Our God is still able to change all the evil that had been done against us into blessings..

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Genesis 50:

Have blessed day!

Your’s in YESHUA,
a j mithra

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Lee’s Addition:

Good job, a j, but you sure gave me a challenge trying to find photos for this bird. They are becoming extinct and I think the photographers who are willing to share their photos of the Maleo are also becoming extinct.

The Maleo is in the Megapodiidae – Megapodes Family of the Galliformes Order.

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