Red jungle fowl pair in a forest patch, Bhutan

The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical member of the family Phasianidae. It is the primary progenitor of the domestic chicken. The range of the wild form stretches from India, eastwards across Indochina and southern China and into Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The male’s tail is composed of long, arching feathers that initially look black, but shimmer with blue, purple, and green in bright light. The female’s plumage is typical of this family of birds in being cryptic and adapted for camouflage. She alone looks after the eggs and chicks. She also has no fleshy wattles, and a very small comb on the head. The vibrant male has long, golden-orange to deep-red crown and neck feathers, and a dark metallic-green tail with a white tuft at the base. The underparts are a dull black while the upperparts are a combination of glossy blue-green, rich dark red, maroon-red, fiery orange, rufous and blackish brown. The colourful cock also has vivid scarlet-red facial skin, throat, two lappets and heavily dented fleshy crest (comb).

The red junglefowl occupies most tropical and subtropical habitats throughout its extensive range, including mangroves, scrubland and plantations, although it seems to prefer flat or gently sloping terrain, forest edges and secondary forest. It is also found in the foothills of the Himalayas.  This is classified as least concern by IUCN. Not globally threatened.