The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical bird in the Phasianidae family and is found in many parts of Southeast Asia and South Asia. It is the domestic chicken’s primary ancestor. Red junglefowl are the first ancestor of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus); the grey junglefowl, Sri Lankan junglefowl, and green junglefowl have also contributed genetic materials to the gene pool of the chicken. The cock has glossy silky plumage, red on the pinnacle and back and green-black elsewhere a pattern also seen in many domestic breeds; the hen is rusty brown with dotted neck and sparse pebble. Compared to the more familiar domestic chicken, the Red junglefowl features a much smaller body mass and is brighter in coloration. Junglefowl are also behaviorally distinct from domestic chickens; compared to the much tamer domesticated subspecies, they are obviously very wary of humans. Males meet in a very selected arena natural precursor of the gamecock pit where they use their sharp leg spurs in combat, often to the death. The male droops one wing in a courtship display and tilts his head, tail, and back his most colorful pieces toward the hen; the domestic rooster behaves likewise. Male jungle fowl are significantly larger than females and have decorative feathers that are brightly colored. These birds may be found in tropical moist forests, mangroves, scrub areas, tea, and palm-oil plantations and agricultural areas.
Red junglefowl are social and typically sleep in flocks of one to some males and a number of other females. gallina seems to be monogamous under normal circumstances. The hen lays 5–8 buffy eggs at a time. Red junglefowl are active during the day and frequently insert the first morning and late afternoon. They spend most of their time on the bottom and can fly only so as to achieve their roosting areas at sunset in trees or the other high and comparatively safe places free from ground predators, and for shake off immediate danger through the day. Such birds often bathe daily in the dust to maintain the right oil balance in their plumage; the dust absorbs excess oil and then falls off. Compared to the more familiar domestic chicken, the red junglefowl encompasses a much smaller body mass (around 2¼ lbs (1 kg) in females and 3¼ lbs (1.5kg) in males) and is brighter in coloration. They go after fruits, seeds, crops, leaves, roots, and tubers. They also capture a good form of arthropods, other invertebrates, and vertebrates like small lizards. They may even eat mammalian feces. Red jungle fowl drink surface water when it’s available but they don’t seem to need it. Such birds nest on the ground, usually under the brush or in other protected areas, in shallow depressions and line their nests with grass, leaves, small sticks, or feathers. Females lay between 3 and 7 eggs, and incubate for about 21 days. Chicks are precocious; they are completely grown and ready to travel and eat on their own. They fledge in about 4 to five weeks, and at 12 weeks old they’re chased out of the group by their mother at which point they begin a brand new group or join an existing one. Wild-type red junglefowl are thought to be facing threats because of hybridization at forest edges, where domesticated free-ranging chickens are common.
