Sri Lanka Junglefowl
Encyclopedia
The Sri Lankan Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii), also known during the colonial era as the Ceylon Junglefowl, is a member of the pheasant family
which is endemic
to Sri Lanka
, where it is the national bird. It is closely related to the Red Junglefowl
(G. gallus), the wild junglefowl
from which the chicken was domesticated. The specific name of the Sri Lankan Junglefowl commemorates the French aristocrat Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
. In Sinhala it is known as වළි කුකුළා (Wali Kukula) and in Tamil
it is known as இலங்கைக் காட்டுக்கோழி.
The male Sri Lankan Junglefowl ranges from 66 – in length and 790–1140 g (1.7–2.5 lb) in weight, essentially resembling a large, muscular rooster
. The male has orange-red body plumage, and dark purple to black wings and tail. The feathers of the mane descending from head to base of spine
are golden, and the face has bare red skin and wattles. The comb is red with a yellow centre. As with the Green Junglefowl
, the cock does not possess an eclipse plumage.
The female is much smaller, at only 35 cm (13.8 in) in length and 510–645 g (1.1–1.4 lb) in weight, with dull brown plumage
with white patterning on the lower belly and breast, ideal camouflage
for a nesting bird.
of birds in the genus Gallus. The other three members of the genus are Red Junglefowl
(G. gallus), Grey Junglefowl
(G. sonneratii), and Green Junglefowl
(G. varius).
The Sri Lankan Junglefowl is most closely related to the Green Junglefowl, though physically it resembles the Grey Junglefowl and the Red Junglefowl. Like the Green Junglefowl, Sri Lankan Junglefowl are island species that have evolved side by side with their similarly stranded island predators and competitors. Uniquely complex anti-predator behaviors and foraging strategies are integral components in the long evolutionary story of the Sri Lankan Junglefowl.
species. It spends most of its time foraging for food by scratching the ground for various seed
s, fallen fruit
and insect
s.
It is a ground nesting bird, and lays 2-4 egg
s in a nest. Similar to many members of the pheasant family, the colourful male plays no part in the incubation of the eggs or rearing of the precocial young. These duties are performed by the drab and well-camouflage
d female.
Like the Grey and Green Junglefowl, male Sri Lankan Junglefowl play an active role in nest protection and chick rearing.
, in that a single female is typically linked with two or three males that form a pride of sorts. These males are likely to be siblings. The female pairs with the alpha male of the pride and nests high off the ground.
Her eggs are highly variable in colour but generally are cream with a yellow or pink tint. Purple or brownish spots are common.
Occasionally a female will produce red eggs or blotched eggs.
The hen incubates her eggs, while the alpha male guards her nest from a nearby perch during the nesting season. The beta males remain in close proximity as well guarding the nesting territory from intruders or potential predators, such as rival males, or snakes and mongooses. Sri Lankan Junglefowl are unique amongst the junglefowl in the brevity of their incubation, which may be as short as twenty days as contrasted with the 21–26 days of the Green Junglefowl.
The chicks require a constant diet of live food, usually insects and isopods such as sowbugs and pillbugs. In particular, the juveniles of land crab
s are also highly important to the growth and survivability of the juvenile and subadult Sri Lankan Junglefowl. In captivity this species is particularly vulnerable to pulloram and other bacterial diseases common in domestic poultry.
The chicks, and to a slightly lesser extent the adults, are incapable of utilizing vegetable-based proteins and fats. Their dietary requirements can not be met with commercial processed food materials. As a result they are exceedingly rare in captivity.
, and is commonly spotted at sites such as Kitulgala
, Yala
and Sinharaja
.
Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
which is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, where it is the national bird. It is closely related to the Red Junglefowl
Red Junglefowl
The Red Junglefowl is a tropical member of the Pheasant family. They are thought to be ancestors of the domestic chicken with some hybridisation with the Grey Junglefowl...
(G. gallus), the wild junglefowl
Junglefowl
Junglefowl are the four living species of bird from the genus Gallus in the Gallinaceous bird order, which occur in India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and Indonesia....
from which the chicken was domesticated. The specific name of the Sri Lankan Junglefowl commemorates the French aristocrat Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...
. In Sinhala it is known as වළි කුකුළා (Wali Kukula) and in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
it is known as இலங்கைக் காட்டுக்கோழி.
Description
As with other junglefowl, the Sri Lankan Junglefowl is strongly sexually dimorphic: the male is much larger than the female, with more vivid plumage and a highly exaggerated wattle and comb.The male Sri Lankan Junglefowl ranges from 66 – in length and 790–1140 g (1.7–2.5 lb) in weight, essentially resembling a large, muscular rooster
Rooster
A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
. The male has orange-red body plumage, and dark purple to black wings and tail. The feathers of the mane descending from head to base of spine
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
are golden, and the face has bare red skin and wattles. The comb is red with a yellow centre. As with the Green Junglefowl
Green Junglefowl
The Green Junglefowl, Gallus varius also known as Javan Junglefowl, Forktail or Green Javanese Junglefowl is a medium-sized, up to 75 cm long, bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae...
, the cock does not possess an eclipse plumage.
The female is much smaller, at only 35 cm (13.8 in) in length and 510–645 g (1.1–1.4 lb) in weight, with dull brown plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
with white patterning on the lower belly and breast, ideal camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
for a nesting bird.
Classification
This is one of four speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of birds in the genus Gallus. The other three members of the genus are Red Junglefowl
Red Junglefowl
The Red Junglefowl is a tropical member of the Pheasant family. They are thought to be ancestors of the domestic chicken with some hybridisation with the Grey Junglefowl...
(G. gallus), Grey Junglefowl
Grey Junglefowl
The Grey Junglefowl , also known as Sonnerat's Junglefowl, is a wild relative of domestic fowl that is endemic to India. This species is found mainly in peninsular India and where it overlaps with the distribution of the Red Junglefowl, it is known to form hybrids...
(G. sonneratii), and Green Junglefowl
Green Junglefowl
The Green Junglefowl, Gallus varius also known as Javan Junglefowl, Forktail or Green Javanese Junglefowl is a medium-sized, up to 75 cm long, bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae...
(G. varius).
The Sri Lankan Junglefowl is most closely related to the Green Junglefowl, though physically it resembles the Grey Junglefowl and the Red Junglefowl. Like the Green Junglefowl, Sri Lankan Junglefowl are island species that have evolved side by side with their similarly stranded island predators and competitors. Uniquely complex anti-predator behaviors and foraging strategies are integral components in the long evolutionary story of the Sri Lankan Junglefowl.
Behaviour
As with most other pheasants, Sri Lanka Junglefowl is a terrestrialTerrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
species. It spends most of its time foraging for food by scratching the ground for various seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, fallen fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
It is a ground nesting bird, and lays 2-4 egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s in a nest. Similar to many members of the pheasant family, the colourful male plays no part in the incubation of the eggs or rearing of the precocial young. These duties are performed by the drab and well-camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
d female.
Like the Grey and Green Junglefowl, male Sri Lankan Junglefowl play an active role in nest protection and chick rearing.
Reproduction
The reproductive strategy of this species is best described as facultative polyandryPolyandry
Polyandry refers to a form of marriage in which a woman has two or more husbands at the same time. The form of polyandry in which a woman is married to two or more brothers is known as "fraternal polyandry", and it is believed by many anthropologists to be the most frequently encountered...
, in that a single female is typically linked with two or three males that form a pride of sorts. These males are likely to be siblings. The female pairs with the alpha male of the pride and nests high off the ground.
Her eggs are highly variable in colour but generally are cream with a yellow or pink tint. Purple or brownish spots are common.
Occasionally a female will produce red eggs or blotched eggs.
The hen incubates her eggs, while the alpha male guards her nest from a nearby perch during the nesting season. The beta males remain in close proximity as well guarding the nesting territory from intruders or potential predators, such as rival males, or snakes and mongooses. Sri Lankan Junglefowl are unique amongst the junglefowl in the brevity of their incubation, which may be as short as twenty days as contrasted with the 21–26 days of the Green Junglefowl.
The chicks require a constant diet of live food, usually insects and isopods such as sowbugs and pillbugs. In particular, the juveniles of land crab
Land crab
Gecarcinidae is a family of true crabs that are adapted for terrestrial existence, commonly known as land crabs. Similar to all other crabs, land crabs possess a series of gills. In addition, the part of the carapace covering the gills is inflated and equipped with blood vessels. These organs...
s are also highly important to the growth and survivability of the juvenile and subadult Sri Lankan Junglefowl. In captivity this species is particularly vulnerable to pulloram and other bacterial diseases common in domestic poultry.
The chicks, and to a slightly lesser extent the adults, are incapable of utilizing vegetable-based proteins and fats. Their dietary requirements can not be met with commercial processed food materials. As a result they are exceedingly rare in captivity.
Habitat
It is common in forest and scrub habitatsHabitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
, and is commonly spotted at sites such as Kitulgala
Kitulgala
Kitulgala is a small town in the west of Sri Lanka. It is in the wet zone rain forest, which gets two monsoons each year, and is one of the wettest places in the country. Nevertheless, it comes alive in the first three months of the year, especially in February, the driest month...
, Yala
Yala National Park
Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. Actually it consists of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public; and also adjoining parks. The blocks have individual names also, like Ruhuna National Park for the block 1 and Kumana National Park or...
and Sinharaja
Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO....
.