20-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - RED JUNGLEFOWL (MALE) (Gallus gallus)

The Red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It was formerly known as the Bankiva or Bankiva Fowl. It is the primary ancestor of the domestic chicken. Junglefowl are behaviourally different from domestic chickens; they are naturally very shy of humans compared to the much tamer domesticated subspecies.

Compared to the more familiar domestic chicken, the Red junglefowl has a much smaller body mass and is brighter in coloration. Male junglefowl are significantly larger than females and have brightly colored decorative feathers. The male's tail is composed of long, arching feathers that initially look black, but shimmer with blue, purple, and green in direct light. He also has long, golden hackle feathers on his neck and on his back. The female plumage is typical of this family of birds in being cryptic and adapted for camouflage as she alone looks after the eggs and chicks. She also has a very small comb and wattles (fleshy ornaments on the head that signal good health to rivals and potential mates) compared to the males.

27-4-2024 KANHA, INDIA - RED JUNGLEFOWL (MALE) (Gallus gallus)

The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. It was formerly known as the bankiva or bankiva fowl. It is the species that gave rise to the chicken (Gallus domesticus); the grey junglefowl, Sri Lankan junglefowl, and green junglefowl have also contributed genetic material to the gene pool of the chicken.

Evidence from the molecular level derived from whole-genome sequencing revealed that the chicken was domesticated from red junglefowl about 8,000 years ago, with this domestication event involving multiple maternal origins. Since then, their domestic form has spread around the world where they are kept by humans for their meat, eggs, and companionship.