Red Junglefowl
The Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical member of the Pheasant family. It is thought to be ancestral to the domestic chicken, with some hybridisation with the Grey Junglefowl. The Red Junglefowl was first domesticated at least several thousand years ago in Asia, and the domestic form is kept globally as a very productive food source of both meat and eggs.
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| Red Junglefowl |
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/
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| Red Junglefowl |
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/
Range
The range of the wild form stretches from Tamil Nadu, South India (where it has almost certainly been diluted with cross breeding from domestic breeds) eastwards across southern China and into Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia. Junglefowl are established on several of the Hawaiian Islands, but these are feral descendents of domestic chickens. They can also be found on Christmas Island and the Marianas...
Each of these various regions had its own subspecies. Some examples include:
Each of these various regions had its own subspecies. Some examples include:
- G. g. gallus Indochina
- G. g. bankiva Java
- G. g. jabouillei Vietnam
- G. g. murghi India
- G. g. spadiceus Burma
- G. g. domesticus (Chicken)
