Gallus gallus (Linnaeus, 1758)

009. Synonym: Phasianus gallus Linnaeus, 1758 English name: Red Junglefowl

Bangla name: Lal Bonmurgi, Bon Morog (Act)

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Description: The Red Junglefowl is a terrestrial bird whose male is very vocal in all seasons (length 57 cm, weight 1 kg, wing 20.5 cm, bill 2 cm, tarsus 7.5 cm, tail 24.7 cm). Its male differs from the

crown. It has a light rufous-brown underpart streaked with buff. Its irises are brown, comb is crimson, bill has a yellowish base and the rest is like that of the male. Both sexes have slaty-brown legs, feet and claws. Of the 5 known sub-species, G g. murghi occurs in Bangladesh. Red Junglefowl, male

Habit: It inhabits all forests and bamboo thickets. It is usually seen alone or in small family parties. It forages by walking and pecking on the ground. It feeds on grains, shoots of grass, crops, fruits, worms female. The male has deep orange-red upperparts with golden-yellow hackles across the nape and mantle. It has a greenish-black tail with sickle-shaped long central feathers. Its underparts are blackish-brown. It has a led comb and wattle respectively above and below the bill, orange-red irises, and brown bill with a reddish base. The female has a chestnut forehead and a dull-rufous

and insects. It is more active at dawn and dusk. Its male has a characteristic loud call: cock-a-doodle-doo. It breeds in January-October. The courtship display of the male includes fluffing of feathers and strutting around the hen. It nests on the ground covered by dense undergrowth. The nest is a scrape on the ground lined with grasses and leaves. The female lays 5-6 eggs, 4.5 x 3.4 cm each. The eggs are pale buff to pale reddish-brown. The female alone incubates. Incubation takes 20-21 days. The chicks leave the nest immediately after hatching and feed on their own.

Distribution: It is a common resident of Bangladesh. It occurs in all forests of Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna and Sylhet Divisions. Its global range is restricted to Asia and includes India, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Status: It is not considered a globally threatened bird, nor it is so in Bangladesh. It is protected by the Bangladesh Wildlife Preservation Act.

Miscellaneous: The scientific name Gallus means a cock (Latin: gallus = farmyard cock). It is the wild ancestor of all domestic fowls.

'[Sajeda Begum]

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Copy from

Encyclopedia of flora and fauna of  Bangladesh -BIRDS-Volume 26- Page: 08.

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