Grey Junglefowl, Gallus sonneratii
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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.
Breeding and Caring for your Pheasant
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