Also called the Plains Turkey these are the heaviest flying birds in Australia and amongst the heaviest in the world. They are found across the inland and tropical north of mainland Australia and southern New Guinea, once very common the species has suffered a massive decline and now has all but disappeared from the south and east of its former range, they are listed as endangered in New South Wales.
They live in grassland, grassy woodland, and low shrub lands; here you can find them in grazing areas such as Hedlow and Lake Mary. They move nomadically in response to local variations in the supply of their diet of leaves, buds, seeds, fruit, frogs, lizards, and invertebrates.
They breed once a year when the males come together to display in specific areas in order to attract females, in their display the males strut around with their tails cocked, inflate a large throat sac and make  a loud, deep, roaring noise. A single egg is laid on bare ground or in grass where the parent bird has a good view of approaching predators. The well camouflaged female incubates the egg and cares for the young.