PREHISTORIC SPECIES OF THE GEN. GALLUS
Junglefowl are a group of four living species of bird in the pheasant family which occur in India, Sri Lanka and south east Asia.
These are large birds, with colourful male plumage, but are nevertheless difficult to see in the dense vegetation they inhabit.
As with many birds in the pheasant family, the colourful male plays no part in the incubation of the egg or rearing of the precocial young. These duties are performed by the drab and well-camouflaged female.
The junglefowl are seed-eaters, but insects are also taken, particularly by the young birds.
One of the species in this genus, the Red Junglefowl, is of historical importance as the likely ancestor of the domesticated chicken.
Genetic pollution and threat of extinction
- Wild Jungle fowl, specifically Red Junglefowl in India and South Asia are the ancestor of all Poultry Chickens. These are thought to be facing a serious threat of extinction because of genetic pollution which is occurring at the edge of forests where domesticated free ranging chickens are commonly kept in bordering villages and towns.
Species
Prehistorically, the genus Gallus was found all over Eurasia; in fact it appears to have evolved in southeastern Europe. Several fossil species have been described, but their distinctness is not firmly established in all cases:
- Gallus aesculapii (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Greece) - possibly belongs into Pavo
- Gallus moldovicus (Late Pliocene of Moldavia) - sometimes misspelt moldavicus
- Gallus beremendensis (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of E Europe)
- Gallus karabachensis (Early Pleistocene of Nagorno-Karabakh)
- Gallus tamanensis (Early Pleistocene? of Taman Peninsula)
- Gallus kudarensis (Early/Middle Pleistocene of Kudaro, South Ossetia)
- Gallus europaeus (Middle Pleistocene of Italy)
- Gallus sp. (Middle/Late Pleistocene of Trinka Cave, Moldavia)
- Gallus imereticus (Late Pleistocene of Gvardjilas-Klde, Imeretia)
- Gallus meschtscheriensis (Late Pleistocene of Soungir, Russia)
- Gallus georgicus (Late Pleistocene - Early Holocene of Georgia)
- Gallus sp. (Late Pleistocene of Krivtcha Cave, Ukraine)
- Gallus sp. (Early Holocene of Dnieper region)
The Red Junglefowl, Gallus gallus, is a tropical member of the Pheasant family and the direct ancestor of the domestic chicken. It was first raised in captivity at least 5,000 years ago in India, and the domesticated form has been taken all around the world as a very productive food source for both meat and eggs, which some breeds have been specifically developed to produce.
The range of the true species stretches from northeast India (where the pure species has almost certainly been diluted with back-crosses from domestic breeds) eastwards across southern China and down into Malaysia and Indonesia.
Each of these various regions had its own race or subspecies such as:
- Gallus gallus gallus Indochina
- Gallus gallus bankiva Java - Bankiva Fowl
- Gallus gallus jabouillei Vietnam
- Gallus gallus murghi India
- Gallus gallus spadiceus Myanmar (considered by some the true ancestor of the domestic bird)
- Gallus gallus domesticus (the domestic Chicken)
Male and female birds show very strong sexual dimorphism. Males are much larger; they have large red fleshy wattles on the head and long, bright gold and bronze feathers forming a "shawl" or "cape" over the back of the bird from the neck to the lower back. The tail is composed of long, arching feathers that initially look black but shimmer with blue, purple and green in good light. The female's plumage is typical of this family of birds in being cryptic and designed for camouflage as she alone looks after the eggs and chicks. She also has no fleshy wattles on the head.
During the breeding season, the male birds announce their presence with the well known "cock-a-doodle-doo" call. This serves both to attract potential mates and to make other male birds in the area aware of the risk of fighting a breeding competitor. The lower leg just behind and above the foot has a long spur for just this purpose. Their call structure is complex and they have distinctive alarm calls for aerial and ground predators to which others react appropriately.
Flight in these birds is almost purely confined to reaching their roosting areas at sunset in trees or any other high and relatively safe places free from ground predators, and for escape from immediate danger through the day.
Current research testing the genetic integrity of this species across its natural range appears to prove that the pure form is quite rare and may even be extinct, only represented in the wild by birds with various degrees of back crossing with domestic selections (breeds) of the species.
The other three members of the genus, Sri Lanka Junglefowl Gallus lafayetii, Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii and the Green Junglefowl Gallus varius do not produce fertile hybrids with the Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus, suggesting that it is the sole ancestor of the domestic chicken.
Genetic pollution and threat of extinction
- Wild Jungle fowl, specifically Red Junglefowl in India and South Asia are the ancestor of all Poultry Chickens. These are thought to be facing a serious threat of extinction because of genetic pollution which is occurring at the edge of forests where domesticated free ranging chickens are commonly kept in bordering villages and towns.
 The Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Gallus lafayetii, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a close relative of the Indian Red Junglefowl, Gallus gallus, the wild junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated.
These are large birds, with colourful male plumage, but are sometimes difficult to see in the denser woodlands. It is common in forest and scrub habitats, and can usually be seen at sites such as Kitulgala, Yala and Sinharaja.
This is one of four species of bird in the genus Gallus. It is a ground nesting bird, which lays 2-4 eggs in a nest. As with many birds in the pheasant family, the colourful male plays no part in the incubation of the eggs or rearing of the precocial young. These duties are performed by the drab and well-camouflaged female.
The male Sri Lanka Junglefowl ranges from 66-73 cm long. It is chicken-like in structure, and has orange-red body plumage, and dark purple wings and tail. The back of the head and the neck are golden, and the face has bare red skin and wattles. The comb is red with a yellow centre. Unlike other junglefowl, the cock does not have an eclipse plumage.
The female is much smaller, at only 35 cm. She is mainly brown with white patterning on the lower belly and breast.
Like most of the pheasant family, Sri Lanka Junglefowl is a terrestrial species. It scratches vigorously for various seeds, fallen fruit and insects.
It is the national bird of Sri Lanka. The scientific name commemorates the French aristocrat Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette.
This species is closely related to the Grey Junglefowl and more distantly related to the Red Junglefowl. Ecologically speaking, the Singhalese Junglefowl shares much in common with the aberrant Green Junglefowl Gallus varius. Like the Green Junglefowl, Singhalese Junglefowl are island species that have evolved side by side with their similarly stranded island predators and competitors. Uniquely complex anti-predator behaviors and foraging strategies are integral components in the long evolutionary story of the Singhalese Junglefowl.
Like the Grey and Green Junglefowl, male Singhalese Junglefowl play an active role in nest protection and chick rearing.
Singhalese Junglefowl are perhaps best described as serial monogamists. The reproductive strategy of this species may also be described as facultative polyandry as a single female is typically linked with two or three males that form a pride of sorts. These males are likely to be siblings. The female pairs with the alpha male of the pride, and nests often high off the ground. Her eggs are highly variable in colour and hue, but very generally they are cream with a yellowish or pinkish tint. They are often spotted in purple or brownish spots. Occasionally a female will produce flower pot red eggs or eggs blotched heavily in the colour.
Incubating the eggs by herself the female is watched over by her mate who perches in close proximity at all times through the nesting period. The beta males remain in close proximity as well guarding the nesting territory from terrestrial intruders especially those non-obligatory predators that prey on eggs and chicks so well known in every forest assemblage. Singhalese Junglefowl are unique amongst the junglefowl in the brevity of their incubation which may be as short as twenty days as contrasted with the 21-26 days of the Green Junglefowl.
The chicks are fragile and require live food especially terrestrial crustaceans, for example copepods and jungle floor versions of the familiar sow and pill bugs.
The larvae of land crabs are also highly important to the growth and survivability of the juvenile and subadult Singhalese Junglefowl. In captivity this species is particularly vulnerable to pulloram and other bacterium common in domestic poultry.
The chicks and to a slightly lesser extent the adults, are incapable of utilizing vegetable protein and fat. Their dietary requirements can not be met with commercial processed food materials. As a result they are exceedingly rare in captivity.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Gallus lafayetii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
The Grey Junglefowl, Gallus sonneratii also known as Sonnerat's Junglefowl is a wild relative of domestic fowl found in India. They are closely related to the Red Junglefowl but their ranges are largely non-overlapping. Cocks are immediately recognizable by their greyish plumage with fine patterns; the elongated neck feathers are dark and end in a small, hard, yellowish plate (visible as spots in the drawing); due to this peculiar structure they are popular for making high-grade fly lures.
Males have an eclipse plumage in which they moult their colourful neck feathers in summer during or after the breeding season. Their loud calls of Ku-kayak-kyuk-kyuk can be heard in the early mornings and at dusk. They are found in deciduous forest and at the edges of moist deciduous forests. They forage for insects and worms by scratching on leaf-litter. They are threatened by hunting for food.
The species name is after the French explorer Pierre Sonnerat and they are sometimes also called Sonnerat's Junglefowl.
The Grey Junglefowl is found in most of Peninsular India, while the Red Junglefowl is found more along the foothills of the Himalayas. A region of overlap occurs in the Aravalli range. The species has been isolated by a variety of mechanisms including behavioural differences and genic incompatibility. Phylogenetic studies of Junglefowl show that this species is closely related to the Ceylon Junglefowl Gallus lafayetii and more distantly to the Red Junglefowl, Gallus gallus.
References
- US Fish and Wildlife Identification Notes
- Morejohn, G. V. 1968. Study of the plumage of the four species of the genus Gallus gallus. The Condor, 70:56-65
- Morejohn, G. Victor(1968) Breakdown of Isolation Mechanisms in Two Species of Captive Junglefowl (Gallus gallus and Gallus sonneratii) Evolution 22(3):576-582
- Akishinonomiya Fumihito, Tetsuo Miyake, Masaru Takada, Ryosuke Shingut, Toshinori Endo, Takashi Gojobori, Norio Kondo, And Susumu Ohno (1996) Monophyletic origin and unique dispersal patterns of domestic fowls. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 93:6792-6795
- BirdLife International (2004). Gallus sonneratii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
Aviculture:
These beautiful pheasants are fairly easy to breed. They should be a spacious, well-planted aviary with about 40 sq.ft. (~12 m2) of available space.
They start breeding in their second year and the breeding season in the U.S. usually starts in March and goes on until July. The female lays 12 to 24 eggs, which she incubates for 20 to 21 das.
They are usually provided a quality game pellet base diet, seeds, vegetables / greens, fruits and live food.
The Green Junglefowl, Gallus varius also known as Javan Junglefowl, Forktail or Green Javanese Junglefowl is a medium-sized, up to 75cm long, bird in the pheasants family Phasianidae. It is native to Java, Bali, Lombok and nearby islands in Indonesia. It has been introduced to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands where there is a small wild population.
The coloration of the male Green Junglefowl differs from that of the female. The male is mainly green and black feathered. Its head is topped by a light blue comb, which turns purple or red towards the top. Its wattle is also of the same colour but is bordered with blue on the edges and yellow closer to the throat. The female is mostly brown with occasional green feathers and has no comb.
The Green Junglefowl is being maintained and increasingly bred in captivity as its genetic diversity is disappearing. This is because these birds are bred with domestic chickens by many people, producing a hybrid known as the Bekisar. The Bekisar has become very popular in the East Java province and has become the mascot-bird of the area. Therefore the Green Junglefowl requires more protected conditions than chickens. However, it is known to be able to fly more strongly than chickens, and has been seen flying from island to island in its native range, where it lives and breeds along coastal areas.
The Green Junglefowl usually lives in groups of two to five in the wild and led by a dominant male, who takes the flock to feed and drink and then back into the cover of the forest. In the night the flock roosts in bamboo stands at 15-20 feet above the forest floor. In the breeding season the dominant males in each flock are challenged by other males without flocks. The two males would clap their wings and crow loudly while fighting each other with their clawed feet.
The captive Green Junglefowl requires warm aviaries with lots of foliage and cover due to their shy nature and are fed with grains and seeds, as well as fruit and insects as these are the same type of food they would feed on in the wild. This bird has also been known for a long time as a pet animal because of its beauty and unique call.
The Green Junglefowl is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Gallus varius. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
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