Grey junglefowl

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Grey junglefowl
Gallus sonneratii (Bandipur), crop.jpg
Cock in Bandipur National Park
Gallus sonneratii - female (Thattekad).jpg
Hen in Thattekad Bird Sanctuary
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Gallus
Species:
G. sonneratii
Binomial name
Gallus sonneratii
Temminck, 1813
GallusSonneratiiMap.png
Actual spot records and presumed distribution

The gray junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii), also known as Sonnerat's junglefowl, is one of the wild ancestors of the domestic chicken together with the red junglefowl and other junglefowls.

Contents

The species epithet commemorates the French explorer Pierre Sonnerat. Local names include Komri in Rajasthan, Geera kur or Parda komri in Gondi, Jangli Murghi in Hindi, Raan kombdi in Marathi, Kattu Kozhi in Tamil and Malayalam, Kaadu koli in Kannada and Tella adavi kodi in Telugu. [3]

Description

Painting by John Gould Grey jfowl jgould.jpg
Painting by John Gould
Grey junglefowl cock in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, India Grey Junglefowl by Samad Kottur.jpg
Grey junglefowl cock in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, India

The male has a black cape with ochre spots and the body plumage on a grey ground colour is finely patterned. The elongated neck feathers are dark and end in a small, hard, yellowish plate; this peculiar structure making them popular for making high-grade artificial flies. [4] The male has red wattles and combs but not as strongly developed as in the red junglefowl. Legs of males are red and have spurs while the yellow legs of females usually lack spurs. [5] [6] The central tail feathers are long and sickle shaped. Males have an eclipse plumage in which they moult their colourful neck feathers in summer during or after the breeding season. [7]

The female is duller and has black and white streaking on the underparts and yellow legs.

Distribution and habitat

This species is endemic to India, and even today it is found mainly in peninsular India and towards the northern boundary. They are found in thickets, on the forest floor and open scrub. The species occurs mainly in the Indian Peninsula, but extends into Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and southern Rajasthan. The red junglefowl is found more along the foothills of the Himalayas; a region of overlap occurs in the Aravalli range. [5] although the ranges are largely non-overlapping. [8]

Disputed subspecies

The populations from the region of Mount Abu in Rajasthan named as the subspecies wangyeli is usually not recognized [9] although it is said that the calls of the cock from this region differs from the call of birds from southern India and the plumage is much paler. [8]

Behaviour

Their loud calls of Ku-kayak-kyuk-kyuk ( Call of male Other calls calls ) are loud and distinctive, and can be heard in the early mornings and at dusk. Unlike the red junglefowl, the male does not flap its wings before uttering the call. [10] They breed from February to May. [5] They lay 4 to 7 eggs which are pale creamy in a scrape. Eggs hatch in about 21 days. Although mostly seen on the ground, grey junglefowl fly into trees to escape predators and to roost. They forage in small mixed or single sex groups. They feed on grains including bamboo seeds, berries, insects and termites, and are hunted for meat and for the long neck hackle feathers that are sought after for making fishing lures.

Relationships

Gallus  

Green junglefowlGallus varius (Shaw, 1798)

Red junglefowlGallus gallus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Sri Lankan junglefowlGallus lafayettii (Lesson, 1831)

Grey junglefowlGallus sonneratii (Temminck, 1813)

Cladogram showing the species in the genus Gallus . [11] [12]

Gray junglefowl have been bred domestically in England since 1862 [13] and their feathers have been commercially supplied from domestic U.K. stocks for fly tying since 1978. [13] A gene from the gray junglefowl is responsible for the yellow pigment in the legs and different body parts of all the domestic chicken breeds. [14] A more recent study revealed multiple gray junglefowl genomic regions introgressed the genome of the domestic chicken, with evidence of some domestic chicken genes also found in the gray junglefowl. [11]

The gray junglefowl will sometimes hybridize in the wild with the red junglefowl. It also hybridizes readily in captivity and sometimes with free-range domestic chickens kept in habitations close to forests. The gray junglefowl and red junglefowl diverged about 2.6 million years ago. [11] The species has been isolated by a variety of mechanisms, including behavioural differences and genic incompatibility, but hybridization is not unknown. [15] [16] Some phylogenetic studies of gray junglefowl show that this species is more closely related to the Sri Lankan junglefowl Gallus lafayetii than to the red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, [11] [17] but another study shows a more ambiguous position due to hybridization. [18] However, the time of divergence between the gray junglefowl and Sri Lankan junglefowl around 1.8 million years ago is more recent than 2.6 million years ago calculated for between the gray junglefowl and red junglefowl. [11] This divergence time supports a sister relationship between gray junglefowl and Sri Lankan junglefowl. [11]

An endogenous retroviral DNA sequence, of the EAV-HP group noted in domestic chickens is also found in the genome of this species pointing to the early integration of the virus DNA into the genome of Gallus. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poultry</span> Domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, meat, or feathers

Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, eggs or feathers. The practice of raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes. The term also includes waterfowls of the family Anatidae but does not include wild birds hunted for food known as game or quarry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junglefowl</span> Genus of birds

Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus Gallus in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. One of the species in this genus, the red junglefowl, is of historical importance as the direct ancestor of the domestic chicken, although the grey junglefowl, Sri Lankan junglefowl and green junglefowl are likely to have also been involved. The Sri Lankan junglefowl is the national bird of Sri Lanka. They diverged from their common ancestor about 4–6 million years ago. Although originating in Asia, remains of junglefowl bones have also been found in regions of Chile, which date back to 1321–1407 CE, providing evidence of possible Polynesian migration through the Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian spot-billed duck</span> Species of bird

The Indian spot-billed duck is a species of large dabbling duck that is a non-migratory breeding duck throughout freshwater wetlands in the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the red spot at the base of the bill that is found in the mainland Indian population. When in water it can be recognized from a long distance by the white tertials that form a stripe on the side, and in flight it is distinguished by the green speculum with a broad white band at the base. This species and the eastern spot-billed duck were formerly considered conspecific, together called the spot-billed duck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western reef heron</span> Species of bird

The western reef heron, also called the western reef egret, is a medium-sized heron found in southern Europe, Africa and parts of Asia. It has a mainly coastal distribution and occurs in several plumage forms: a slaty-grey plumage in which it can only be confused with the rather uncommon dark morph of the Little egret ; a white form which can look very similar to the little egret although the bill tends to be paler and larger and the black form with white throat E. g. gularis of West Africa. There are also differences in size, structure and foraging behaviour. There have been suggestions that the species hybridizes with the Little Egret, and based on this, some authors treat schistacea and gularis as subspecies of Egretta garzetta. Works that consider the Western Reef Heron as a valid species include the nominate gularis and schistacea as subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shikra</span> Species of bird

The shikra is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usually been considered as subspecies of the shikra. The shikra is very similar in appearance, as well as behavior, at least to some degree, to other Accipiter species including the Chinese goshawk, Eurasian goshawk and Eurasian sparrowhawk. They have a sharp two note call and have the typical flap and glide flight. Their calls are imitated by drongos and the common hawk-cuckoo resembles it in plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red junglefowl</span> Species of bird; wild origin of the domesticated chicken

The red junglefowl, also known as the Indian red junglefowl, is a species of tropical, predominantly terrestrial bird in the fowl and pheasant family, Phasianidae, found across much of Southeast and parts of South Asia. The red junglefowl was the primary species to give-rise to today's many breeds of domesticated chicken ; additionally, the related grey junglefowl, Sri Lankan junglefowl and the Javanese green junglefowl have also contributed genetic material to the gene pool of the modern chicken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian peafowl</span> Species of bird

The Indian peafowl, also known as the common peafowl or blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been introduced to many other countries. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens, although both sexes are often referred to colloquially as a "peacock".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red spurfowl</span> Species of bird

The red spurfowl is a member of the pheasant family and is endemic to India. It is a bird of forests, and is quite secretive despite its size. It has a distinctive call and is often hard to see except for a few seconds when it flushes from the undergrowth. It appears reddish and like a long-tailed partridge. The bare skin around the eye is reddish. The legs of both males and females have one or two spurs, which give them their name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lankan junglefowl</span> Species of bird

The Sri Lankan junglefowl, also known as the Ceylon junglefowl or Lafayette's junglefowl, is a member of the Galliformes bird order which is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is the national bird. It is closely related to the red junglefowl, the wild junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated. However, it is even more closely related to the grey junglefowl. Sri Lankan junglefowl and red junglefowl diverged about 2.8 million years ago, whereas time of divergence between the Sri Lankan junglefowl and grey junglefowl was 1.8 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brahminy starling</span> Species of bird

The brahminy starling or brahminy myna is a member of the starling family of birds. It is usually seen in pairs or small flocks in open habitats on the plains of the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plumage</span> Layer of feathers that covers a bird

Plumage is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can be different colour morphs. The placement of feathers on a bird is not haphazard but rather emerges in organized, overlapping rows and groups, and these feather tracts are known by standardized names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Sonnerat</span> French naturalist, colonial administrator, writer and explorer

Pierre Sonnerat was a French naturalist, colonial administrator, writer and explorer. He described numerous species of plants and animals on his travels and is honoured in the genus Sonneratia and in other specific names such as that of the grey junglefowl Gallus sonneratii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian grey hornbill</span> Species of bird

The Indian gray hornbill is a common hornbill found on the Indian subcontinent. It is mostly arboreal and is commonly sighted in pairs. It has grey feathers all over the body with a light grey or dull white belly. The horn is black or dark grey with a casque extending to the point of curvature of the horn. It is one of the few hornbill species found in urban areas in many cities where they are able to make use of large trees in avenues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey francolin</span> Species of bird

The grey francolin is a species of francolin found in the plains and drier parts of the Indian subcontinent and Iran. This species was formerly also called the grey partridge, not to be confused with the European grey partridge. They are mainly ground-living birds and are found in open cultivated lands as well as scrub forest and their local name of teetar is based on their calls, a loud and repeated Ka-tee-tar...tee-tar which is produced by one or more birds. The term teetar can also refer to other partridges and quails. During the breeding season calling males attract challengers, and decoys were used to trap these birds especially for fighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted spurfowl</span> Species of bird

The painted spurfowl is a bird of the pheasant family found in rocky hill and scrub forests mainly in peninsular India. Males are more brightly coloured and spotted boldly in white. Males have two to four spurs while females can have one or two of the spurs on their tarsus. The species is found mainly in rocky and scrub forest habitats unlike the red spurfowl. It is found in the undergrowth in pairs or small groups, escaping by running and rarely taking to the wing when flushed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded bay cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The banded bay cuckoo or bay-banded cuckoo is a species of small cuckoo found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Like others in the genus they have round nostrils. They are usually founded in well-wooded areas mainly in the lower hills. Males sing from exposed branches during the breeding season, which can vary with region. They are distinctive both in their calls as well as plumage with a white eyebrowed appearance and the rufous upperparts with regular dark bands and the whitish underside with fine striations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green junglefowl</span> Species of bird

The green junglefowl, also known as Javan junglefowl, forktail or green Javanese junglefowl, is the most distantly related and the first to diverge at least 4 million years ago among the four species of the junglefowl. Hybridization with domestic chicken has also been reported. Green junglefowl is a medium-sized bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large grey babbler</span> Species of bird

The large gray babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae found across India and far western Nepal. They are locally common in the scrub, open forest and gardenland. They are usually seen in small groups and are easily distinguished from other babblers in the region by their nasal call and the whitish outer feathers to their long tail. It is one of the largest babblers in the region.

Gamebird hybrids are the result of crossing species of game birds, including ducks, with each other and with domestic poultry. These hybrid species may sometimes occur naturally in the wild or more commonly through the deliberate or inadvertent intervention of humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank myna</span> Species of bird

The bank myna is a myna found in the northern parts of South Asia. It is smaller but similar in colouration to the common myna, only differing in having brick-red naked skin behind the eyes instead of yellow. It is greyer on the underside and in this and in the presence of a slight tuft of feathers bears some resemblance to the jungle myna. They are found in flocks on the plains of northern and central India, often within towns and cities. Their range appears to be extending southwards into India. The name is derived from their habit of nesting almost exclusively in the earthen banks of rivers, where they excavate burrows and breed in large colonies.

References

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  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Anonymous (1998). "Vernacular Names of the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent" (PDF). Buceros. 3 (1): 53–109. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-04-01.
  4. "Identification Notes" (PDF). US Fish and Wildlife. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2006-10-31.
  5. 1 2 3 Rasmussen PC; JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. p. 132.
  6. "Occurrence of spurs in the female junglefowl (Gallus sonnerati)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 52 (2–3): 603–604. 1954.
  7. Morejohn, G. V. (1968). "Study of the plumage of the four species of the genus Gallus". The Condor. 70 (1): 56–65. doi:10.2307/1366508. JSTOR   1366508.
  8. 1 2 Ali, S.; Ripley, S. D. Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 106–109.
  9. Storer, R. W. (1988). Type Specimens of Birds in the Collections of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (PDF). University of Michigan, Miscellaneous publications No. 174.
  10. Finn, Frank (1911). The game birds of India and Asia. Thacker, Spink and Co., Calcutta. pp. 21–23.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lawal, R.A.; et al. (2020). "The wild species genome ancestry of domestic chickens". BMC Biology. 18 (13): 13. doi: 10.1186/s12915-020-0738-1 . PMC   7014787 . PMID   32050971.
  12. Tiley, G.P.; Pandey, A.; Kimball, R.T.; Braun, E.L.; Burleigh, J.G. (2020). "Whole genome phylogeny of Gallus: introgression and data‑type effects". Avian Research. 11 (7). doi: 10.1186/s40657-020-00194-w .
  13. 1 2 Bransford Game Fisheries. "Jungle Cock". Bransford Game Fisheries. Fisherman's feathers. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  14. "Darwin Was Wrong About Wild Origin Of The Chicken, New Research Shows". sciencedaily.com.
  15. Eriksson J, Larson G, Gunnarsson U, Bed'hom B, Tixier-Boichard M, et al. (2008). Georges M (ed.). "Identification of the Yellow Skin Gene Reveals a Hybrid Origin of the Domestic Chicken". PLOS Genetics. 4 (2): e1000010. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000010 . PMC   2265484 . PMID   18454198.
  16. Morejohn, G. Victor (1968). "Breakdown of Isolation Mechanisms in Two Species of Captive Junglefowl (Gallus gallus and Gallus sonneratii)". Evolution. 22 (3): 576–582. doi:10.2307/2406881. JSTOR   2406881. PMID   28564768.
  17. Fumihito, Akishinonomiya; Tetsuo Miyake; Masaru Takada; Ryosuke Shingut; Toshinori Endo; Takashi Gojobori; Norio Kondo & Susumu Ohno (1996). "Monophyletic origin and unique dispersal patterns of domestic fowls" (PDF). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 93 (13): 6792–6795. Bibcode:1996PNAS...93.6792F. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.13.6792 . PMC   39106 . PMID   8692897.
  18. Nishibori, M.; Shimogiri, T.; Hayashi, T.; Yasue, H. (2005). "Molecular evidence for hybridization of species in the genus Gallus except for Gallus varius". Animal Genetics. 36 (5): 367–375. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2005.01318.x. PMID   16167978.
  19. Sacci, MA; K Howes; K Venugopal (2001). "Intact EAV-HP Endogenous Retrovirus in Sonnerat's Jungle Fowl". Journal of Virology. 75 (4): 2029–2032. doi:10.1128/JVI.75.4.2029-2032.2001. PMC   115153 . PMID   11160706.

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