Asia

Maleo

Macrocephalon maleo

The Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) is a bird found in Indonesia. Forests and warm beaches on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and fruit. The IUCN Red List lists it as Critically Endangered.

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Scientific name	Macrocephalon maleo
Region	Asia
Found in	Indonesia

🏡 Where the Maleo lives

Forests and warm beaches on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs60%
🍎 Fruit40%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Critically EndangeredAlmost gone from the wild.

💡 It buries its eggs in hot sand. The chicks hatch ready to run and fly, with no parents.

Questions about the Maleo

Where does the Maleo live?

The Maleo lives in Indonesia. Forests and warm beaches on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

What does the Maleo eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 60%), fruit (about 40%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Maleo endangered?

Almost gone from the wild. Its IUCN Red List category is Critically Endangered.

More birds from Asia

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.