Bird Guide

Grey Junglefowl vs Red Junglefowl

Grey Junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii)

Grey Junglefowl

Gallus sonneratii

Large841 gForest

The male has a black cape with ochre spots and the body plumage on a grey ground colour is finely patterned. The elongated neck feathers are dark and end in a small, hard, yellowish plate; this peculiar structure making them popular for making high-grade artificial flies. The male has red wattles and combs but not as strongly developed as in the red junglefowl. Legs of males are red and have spurs while the yellow legs of females usually lack spurs. The central tail feathers are long and sickle shaped.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Jairam Vijayan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Siya ul haque · CC BY 4.0
Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)

Red Junglefowl

Gallus gallus

Large752 gForest

The species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism. Males are referred to as "roosters", while females are referred to as "hens". Compared with the domestic chicken, the red junglefowl has a much smaller body mass. The roosters are significantly larger than the hens — males weigh around 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb), while females weigh around 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). The plumage of the male is much brighter in colouration than that of the female, which is a drab colour and more suitable for camouflage. The mantle (neck and back) of the rooster typically has long, golden hackle feathers.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Julien Renoult, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Julien Renoult · cc-by

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Grey Junglefowl and Red Junglefowl.