Hello! Are you wondering why a regular domesticated chicken is here? We are not regular chicken. In fact, we are the ancestors of them. We are the Red Jungle Fowls. Know about some interesting things about us down below:
- Humans started domesticating us from a very long time (7400 years) in Asia and the modern domesticated chicken is the result of breeding all these years.
- We were bred differently in different areas leading to several subspecies.
- We were selectively bred because we were a very important food source for humans. We played an important role in human history. The domestication of our species was one of the most important steps in the development of mankind.
- We, like many fowls, make the well-known “cock-a-doodle-doo” sound and this sound is made by males of our species to shown dominance, attract potential mates as well as to create awareness of threats.
- Do you know? We are the first-ever bird to be introduced in the Island of Hawaii, USA.
- Though we are abundant, not all of us have pure wild Red Jungle Fowl genes. Most of our species in captivity are have impure Red Jungle Fowl genes.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT US:
Our Scientific Name: Gallus Gallus.
Identification: very similar to chicken: Males have orange to red colored feathers with red face; females are dull brown and with pale-red face.
Our Habitat: flat or lightly sloping terrains, edges of forests and also secondary forests.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Omnivorous; feed mainly on seeds, fruits, and small insects.
Breeding Period: April to December.
Number of eggs laid: 5-7 eggs.
Incubation period: 24-26 days.
Lifespan: 25 years.
IUCN red list status: Least Concern.
CITES: Not Listed.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule IV.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Gallus
Species: g. Gallus
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
We are the popular and the wild ancestors of all the domestic poultry, we are the Red Jungle Fowls. We are scientifically called Gallus gallus.
HOW WE LOOK:
Almost every person living on the earth knows how domestic fowls looks like, and since we are their wild ancestors, we look very similar to them. Males of our kind have long crown and neck feathers which are orange to red in color. The tail feathers are green in color. The face is red in color. The males have a length of 65 cm – 75 cm and weight 600 gms -1450 gms.
The females of our kind are in dull brown in color with a pale red face. They have a length of 42cm – 46cm and weigh 485gms – 1050 gms.
Young ones of our species look similar to adults but with underdeveloped wings.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We prefer living in flat or lightly sloping terrains, edges of forests and also secondary forests where the threat is minimal.
We have our range stretching in countries like India, southern China, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and also Indonesia.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are omnivorous species and we feed mainly on seeds, fruits, and small insects.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are polygamous birds meaning we have multiple mates in a lifetime. The males are called cocks and they maintain a territory of their own with 3 – 5 hens. Males aggressively defend the group from other males.
Our breeding season is from March to June. We make our nests in the ground. The hen lays 5 – 7 eggs at a time and the incubation period is 24 – 26 days. Incubation is done solely by the female.
The young chicks born are taken care of and fed by female alone while male defends the group. Our average lifespan is approximately 25 years.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are very old domesticated species, at least 5000 years ago in Asia.
We were and still are in some places a very productive food source for both meat and eggs.
We were selectively bred in many places making us have subspecies depending on the region.
We, like many fowls, make the well-known “cock-a-doodle-doo” sound and this sound is made by males of our species to shown dominance, attract potential mates as well as to create awareness of threats.
OUR CONSERVATION:
Since we are very ancient, we were bored multiple times in all these times. With so much hybridization in captivity as well as in the wild, the DNA testing has been done for our purity of genes and sadly all birds in captivity don’t have pure genes. We are listed as “Least Concern” by IUCN in its red list. Since we are no regular chicken, we are protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
