
Photo: (c) Jacqui Geux, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Gallus gallus
Range
Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh east across southern China and Southeast Asia
Weight
Males about 1.5kg; females about 1kg
The red junglefowl, formerly called the bankiva fowl, is a tropical gamebird of South and Southeast Asia and the main ancestor of the domestic chicken, first domesticated about 8,000 years ago. It is much smaller than a domestic fowl, with males about 1.5kg and females about 1kg. The rooster's neck and back have long golden hackle feathers, while the hen is drab and well camouflaged (Wikipedia, general species account).
Its native range extends from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh in the west, east across southern China to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and south into Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Breeding adults moult around June into an eclipse plumage that lasts through October. Roosters have a sharp bony spur on the back of each leg.