The Vanuatu Megapode has bare red skin on its face and yellow legs. It lays eggs in burrows and uses heat from volcanic soil or sun-warmed ground.
It has dark brown to black plumage, extensive pinkish-red bare skin on the face and forehead, a pale yellow bill, and bright yellow legs. The sexes look alike.
Vanuatu Megapode chicks have plain brown plumage. As they grow, their feathers become darker and their red facial skin and yellow legs develop. They forage alone, in pairs or in small groups on the forest floor, sometimes alongside Red Junglefowl.
A 1999 paper compared nesting grounds on a beach and two headlands at Buwoma, north-west Ambrym. In November 1996, researchers mapped 146 burrows and classified their activity using loose soil and digging signs. Compared with the 1995 survey, active and probably active burrows decreased on the beach but increased on both headlands.
Local egg collectors reported that a recent storm had washed away coastal burrows, and many burrows bore signs of digging by egg collectors. The paper considered storms, human visits and survey season as possible influences. These concentrated coastal nesting grounds encounter both waves and human use.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern · Global
The IUCN global assessment of 26 February 2024 lists the species as Least Concern, although its population is suspected to be declining. Threats include forest loss, egg collection and introduced cats, dogs and rats. Proposed actions include assessing harvesting levels and the effects of local restrictions on bird numbers, while protecting forests and nesting grounds.