The flight feathers and short tail are grayish-black, and the wings are short and round. The bill is yellow with the upper mandible clove-brown to black at the base. The feathers around the eye, ear, and throat are very sparse or absent revealing red skin and a red throat patch. The Micronesian Megapode is generally a bird of the forest. They are also characterized by laying large eggs without an air chamber.
Chicks lack an egg tooth at hatching and kick their way out of the egg.
The Micronesian Megapode seems to be an omnivore, taking a variety of plant and animal foods available on the forest floor, including seeds, beetles, ants, other insects, and plant matter. Micronesian megapodes are known to give at least three types of calls, including two calls that are different for males and females and that may be given in a duet. The megapode remains in relatively large numbers only on the smaller, mostly uninhabited northern islands of Anatahan, Sarigan, Guguan, Pagan, Maug, Alamagan, Ascuncion, and possibly Agrihan. Population estimates of the megapode total about 1,440 to 1,975 birds in the island chain. The decline in numbers is thought to be a result of exploitation and habitat loss.