Saturday, February 19, 2011

Grey Junglefowl


The Grey Junglefowl, Gallus sonneratii also known as Sonnerat's Junglefowl is a wild relative of domestic fowl found in India. They are closely related to the Red Junglefowl but their ranges are largely non-overlapping. They are found in deciduous forest and at the edges of moist deciduous forests. They are threatened by hunting for food.

The Grey Junglefowl is found in most of Peninsular India, while the Red Junglefowl is found more along the foothills of the Himalayas. A region of overlap occurs in the Aravalli range. The species has been isolated by a variety of mechanisms including behavioural differences and genic incompatibility. Phylogenetic studies of Junglefowl show that this species is closely related to the Ceylon Junglefowl Gallus lafayetii and more distantly to the Red Junglefowl, Gallus gallus.

The species name is after the French explorer Pierre Sonnerat and they are sometimes also called Sonnerat's Junglefowl.

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