Nicobar megapode jungle adjacent to the sea shore. In the dark, they venture out on the shore. They move in pairs or small groups. The group may consist of birds of various ages including just hatched ones. When disturbed, they prefer to escape by running but take to wings when pressed. The group keeps in touch with cackling calls. Pairs indulge in duet calling and maintain territories. Many species in the genus are said to be monogamous, but the Nicobar megapode has been found to form temporary pair bonds. The Nicobar megapode has an omnivorous diet. They forage mainly by scratching and
Nicobar megapode 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 to be indistinguishable from 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. The species is found only in the Nicobar Islands. This range is so well separated from the main megapode distribution (especially of the genus "Megapodius") that in 1911, it was