Sasa : Unknown Bird of Oceania.

Etymology:

Fijian (Austronesian) word.

Physical description:

Chicken-sized ground bird. Speckled.

Distribution:

Viti Levu and Kandavu Islands, Fiji.

Present status:

Probably extinct.

Possible explanation:

Undescribed species of Megapode (Family Megapodiidae), a group of scrub hens and brush turkeys that build mounds in which their eggs are incubated, suggested by Karl Shuker. These birds are found in Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Sources:

• Casey A. Wood and Alexander Wetmore, “A Collection of Birds from the Fiji Islands, Part III: Field Observations,” Ibis 2 (1926): 91–136;
• Karl Shuker, “Gallinaceous Mystery Birds,” World Pheasant Association News, no. 32 (May 1991): 3–6

SOURCE:

Mysterious Creatures – A Guide to Cryptozoology written by George M. Eberhart – Copyright © 2002 by George M. Eberhart