Nicobar Megapode - Taxonomy and Systematics

Taxonomy and Systematics

This species was collected by Reverend Jean Pierre Barbe and described by Edward Blyth in 1846. Some workers have considered the species to be subspecies of the Dusky Megapode (Megapodius freycinet). The exact island from which the original type specimen came was not known and a later specimen from Trinkat Island, described as Megapodius trinkutensis is now considered identical to be identical to the nominate subspecies. In 1901, W L Abbott collected specimens from Little Nicobar which were described in 1919 by H C Oberholser as a new subspecies abbotti, distinguished by its darker brown plumage.