Red junglefowl
Scientific name: Gallus gallus
- How weight is recorded: Whole weight
Field notes
Appearance
Males are strikingly iridescent with glossy red-gold plumage on the head and neck, arched tail feathers, and a characteristic red facial wattle and comb. Females are much duller, mottled brown and buff, and notably smaller than males.
Size and weight
Males: 0.6–1.3 kg, body length 60–80 cm; females: 0.3–0.6 kg, body length 35–45 cm.
Habitat
Red junglefowl inhabit tropical and subtropical forests, forest edges, and scrubland from sea level to approximately 2,000 m elevation. They prefer areas with dense ground cover, leaf litter, and scattered clearings for foraging.
Distribution
Native to Southeast Asia from northeast India through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia to the Philippines and Indonesia. They occupy lowland and montane forests with preference for areas retaining good undergrowth.
Diet
Red junglefowl scratch leaf litter and soft ground for insects, grubs, fallen seeds, fruits, and tubers; diet is primarily invertebrate-dependent, supplemented with plant matter.
Behaviour
Highly active during early morning and late afternoon, roosting in trees at dusk. They are gregarious but wary, foraging in small groups or pairs and flushing noisily when alarmed, typically running rather than flying.
Hunting tips
Look for fresh scratches and scrapes in leaf litter, dark droppings with white tips, and flight feathers at roosting sites. Approach dense cover slowly at dawn or dusk from downwind, using terrain folds to close distance. Birds typically flush uphill or into thick cover; position yourself to cut off escape routes into open ground.
Whole weight
This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.
Where it is hunted
Listed as huntable in 1 country in Huntify.
Names in other languages
Current language: en
These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.