Bird Guide

Sri Lanka Junglefowl

Gallus lafayettii

Least ConcernEndemicOmnivoreForestCavity nestLarge · 825 g

About the Sri Lanka Junglefowl

The Sri Lankan junglefowl, also known as the Ceylon junglefowl or Lafayette's junglefowl, is a member of the Galliformes bird order. It is a common endemic bird in Sri Lanka, where it is the national bird. It is closely related to the red junglefowl, the wild junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated. However, it is even more closely related to the gray junglefowl. Sri Lankan junglefowl and red junglefowl diverged about 2.8 million years ago, whereas time of divergence between the Sri Lankan junglefowl and grey junglefowl was 1.8 million years ago.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

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 66–72 cm (26–28 in) in length and 790–1,140 g (1.74–2.51 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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where the Sri Lanka Junglefowl lives

Regular range

When to see the Sri Lanka Junglefowl

Peak activity in December · a variable species across most of its range

Easily confused with

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