Scientifically, the Australian Brush Turkey is known as Alectura lathami. It is frequently called the Scrub Turkey or Bush Turkey. It happens to be a common, widespread species of mound-building bird from the family Megapodiidae, found in eastern Australia from Far North Queensland to Illawarra in New South Wales. Kangaroo Island in South Australia has also witnessed the introduction of this bird. Among the birds falling within the family Megapodiidae, the Australian Brush turkey happens to be the largest extant representative. It is also one of three species to inhabit Australia.

This bird is very easy to identify. By means of the following, the Brush Turkey is easily recognized: deep blue-black plumage, bright head colors, broad flat tail, and a general turkey-like appearance. The wattle of the Australian Brush Turkey varies in color with its age, gender and location. The male Brush Turkey that occurs in the southern parts of its range has a bright yellow wattle. Meanwhile, the male found in Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland possesses a light blue wattle. The females and younger birds possess a dull yellow wattle.

It happens that the Brush Turkey chicks look like quails, and possess plain rich brown feathers over their entire bodies. Upon maturity, the feathers on their head and necks are lost, and the bare skin turns a deep pink color.

The male Brush Turkey builds a large and distinctive incubation mound using vegetation gathered from the forest floor around them. This mound can be up to 2 m high and 4 m wide. The female lays between 18 and 24 white eggs in the mound. There are intervals of two to three days between the laying of each egg. The eggs receive warmth via the decomposition of the vegetation in the mound. The male happens to maintain the optimum incubation temperature which falls between 33°C and 35°C by removing and adding layers to the mound. After about seven weeks, the chicks hatch, fully feathered and able to run.