page_title: Tongan megapode
section_title: Status and conservation
hierarchical_section_title: Tongan megapode / Status and conservation
caption_attribution_description: English: Eggs of the Malau (Megapodius pritchardii), gathered at Lake Vai Lahi (Niuafoʻou) in 1967.Français&#160;: Oeufs du malau (mégapode de Pritchard) recueillis au lac de Vai Lahi (Niuafoʻou) en 1967.
context_page_description: The Tongan megapode is a species of bird in the megapode family, Megapodiidae, currently endemic to Tonga. The species is also known as the Polynesian megapode, and as the Niuafo'ou megapode after the island of Niuafo'ou to which it was restricted for many years. The specific epithet honours British consul William Thomas Pritchard.
context_section_description: The Tongan megapode is principally threatened by the same factors that caused its decline in the rest of Polynesia. Its eggs are still harvested by local people in spite of theoretical government protection, and some hunting still occurs. The species is apparently afforded some protection by the difficulty in reaching its habitat. Because of the vulnerability of the single population an attempt was made to translocate eggs of this species to new islands, Late and Fonualei. The translocation was successful on Fonualei and an estimated 350–500 birds now breed there, but surveys of Late subsequently found that the translocation there had failed.
caption: Eggs of the Malau (Megapodius pritchardii), gathered at Lake Vai Lahi (Niuafoʻou) in 1967.
exif: {}