La Perouse's Megapode is a megapode of the Mariana Islands that lives on the forest floor. Its grey head, red facial skin, and yellow legs are distinctive.
The Mariana subspecies has a dark body, a grey head with a short crest, bare red facial skin, and yellowish legs.
The Mariana subspecies walks on native forest floors, eating seeds, small invertebrates and plant material. Geothermal heat, sunshine and heat released by decomposing vegetation can incubate its eggs. Forest ground provides places to forage and breed.
A 2024 paper reported surveys conducted across the Mariana Islands in 2008–10. Observers recorded birds seen or heard and measured distances to them. Recorded calls were also played to help assess these inconspicuous forest birds.
Most of the estimated birds occurred on Sarigan, Guguan and Asuncion, although these islands together occupy only 2% of the archipelago’s land area. Small islands retaining native forest and receiving few human visits formed important strongholds.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Because many Mariana birds were concentrated on small islands, the researchers recommend restoring forest, removing introduced ungulates and controlling introduced predators. Locating and monitoring incubation sites and studying movements between islands are further conservation priorities.