Australian Brush-turkey (13/17)

GALLIFORMES: Megapodiidae

Alectura lathami  

Lurking Monsters

Deep, deep in the dark rainforest, there lurk sinister, grotesque creatures waiting to grab hold of some unsuspecting victim stumbling by, tripping on the vines, including your innocent photographer, and bite deep into their soft tissues (and mine are the softest) in order to suck the life-carrying juices out of them.

They're called ticks, and luckily this isn't one of them. Phew! No, this is a colourful, almost comical Australian Brush-turkey and I'm always happy to see them. Not like the ticks, which I only ever see the bum end of, sticking out of some sensitive part of me.