Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s that includes turkeys, chickens,

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New ...

, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often reared by humans for their meat and eggs, or hunted as game birds. The order contains about 290

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, inhabiting every

continent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas t ...

except Antarctica, and divided into five families: Phasianidae (including chicken, quail, partridges, pheasants, turkeys, peafowl (peacocks) and grouse),

Odontophoridae The New World quail are small birds only distantly related to the Old World quail, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family, the Odontophoridae, whereas Old World quail are in the pheasant ...

(New World quail),

Numididae Guineafowl (; sometimes called "pet speckled hens" or "original fowl") are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetically, they branched o ...

(guinea fowl),

Cracidae The chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae. These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. The range of one species, the plain chachalaca, just reaches southernmost parts of Texas in the Unite ...

(including chachalacas and curassows), and

Megapodiidae The megapodes, also known as incubator birds or mound-builders, are stocky, medium-large, chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet in the family Megapodiidae. Their name literally means "large foot" and is a reference to the heavy legs ...

(incubator birds like

malleefowl The malleefowl (''Leipoa ocellata'') is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken (to which it is distantly related). It is notable for the large nesting mounds constructed by the males and lack of parental ca ...

and brush-turkeys). They adapt to most environments except for innermost deserts and perpetual ice. Many gallinaceous species are skilled runners and escape predators by running rather than flying. Males of most species are more colorful than the females, with often elaborate courtship behaviors that include strutting, fluffing of tail or head feathers, and vocal sounds. They are mainly nonmigratory. Several species have been

domesticated Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. A ...

during their long and extensive relationships with humans. The name ''galliformes'' derives from " gallus", Latin for "

rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

". Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds, or galliforms. Galliforms and waterfowl (order Anseriformes) are collectively called ''fowl''.

Systematics and evolution

The living Galliformes were once divided into seven or more families. Despite their distinctive appearance, grouse and turkeys probably do not warrant separation as families due to their recent origin from

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perd ...

- or

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...

-like birds. The turkeys became larger after their ancestors colonized temperate and subtropical North America, where pheasant-sized competitors were absent. The ancestors of grouse, though, adapted to harsh climates and could thereby colonize subarctic regions. Consequently, the Phasianidae are expanded in current taxonomy to include the former

Tetraonidae Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetraonidae), a classification supported by mitochondria ...

and Meleagrididae as subfamilies. The Anseriformes ( waterfowl) and the Galliformes together make up the Galloanserae. They are basal among the living

neognathous Neognathae (; ) is a infraclass of birds, called neognaths, within the class Aves of the clade Archosauria. Neognathae includes the majority of living birds; the exceptions being the tinamous and the flightless ratites, which belong instead to t ...

birds, and normally follow the

Paleognathae Palaeognathae (; ) is a infraclass of birds, called paleognaths, within the class Aves of the clade Archosauria. It is one of the two extant infraclasses of birds, the other being Neognathae, both of which form Neornithes. Palaeognathae contain ...

(ratites and tinamous) in modern bird classification systems. This was first proposed in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy and has been the one major change of that proposed scheme that was almost universally adopted. However, the Galliformes as they were traditionally delimited are called Gallomorphae in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, which splits the

and

as an order "Craciformes". This is not a natural group, however, but rather an erroneous result of the now-obsolete

phenetic In biology, phenetics ( el, phainein – to appear) , also known as taximetrics, is an attempt to classify organisms based on overall similarity, usually in morphology or other observable traits, regardless of their phylogeny or evolutionary re ...

methodology employed in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy. Phenetic studies do not distinguish between plesiomorphic and apomorphic characters, which leads to basal lineages appearing as monophyletic groups. Historically, the

buttonquail Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 18 species in two genera ...

s (Turnicidae), mesites (Mesitornithidae) and the

hoatzin The hoatzin ( ) or hoactzin ( ), (''Opisthocomus hoazin''), is the only species in the order Opisthocomiformes. It is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South Ameri ...

(''Opisthocomus hoazin'') were placed in the Galliformes, too. The former are now known to be shorebirds adapted to an inland lifestyle, whereas the mesites are probably closely related to pigeons and doves. The relationships of the hoatzin are entirely obscure, and it is usually treated as a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

order Opisthocomiformes to signify this. The fossil record for the Galliformes is incomplete.

Evolution

Galloanserae-like birds were one of the main survivors of the K-T Event, that killed off the rest of the dinosaurs. The dominant birds of the dinosaur era were the enantiornithes, toothed birds that dominated the trees and skies. Unlike those enantiornithes, the ancestors of the galliformes were a niche group that were toothless and ground-dwelling. When the asteroid impact killed off all non-avian dinosaurs, and the dominant birds, it destroyed all creatures that lived in trees and on open ground. The enantiornithes were wiped out, but the ancestors of galliformes were small and lived in the ground (or water: Anseriformes) which protected them from the blast and destruction.

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s of these galliform-like birds originate in the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', ...

, most notably those of '' Austinornis lentus''. Its partial left tarsometatarsus was found in the

Austin Chalk The Austin Chalk is an upper Cretaceous geologic formation in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. It is named after type section outcrops near Austin, Texas. The formation is made up of chalk and marl. Fossils The putative galloanseran ...

near Fort McKinney, Texas, dating to about 85 million years ago (Mya). This bird was quite certainly closely related to Galliformes, but whether it was a part of these or belongs elsewhere in the little-known galliform branch of Galloanserae is not clear. However, in 2004, Clarke classified it as a member of the larger group Pangalliformes, more closely related to chickens than to ducks, but not a member of the crown group that includes all modern galliformes. Another specimen, PVPH 237, from the Late Cretaceous

Portezuelo Formation The Portezuelo Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous ( Late Turonian to Early Coniacian) age, outcropping in the Mendoza, Río Negro and Neuquén provinces of Argentina.Turonian- Coniacian, about 90 Mya) in the Sierra de Portezuelo (

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

) has also been suggested to be an early galliform relative. This is a partial

coracoid A coracoid (from Greek κόραξ, ''koraks'', raven) is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all vertebrates except therian mammals (marsupials and placentals). In therian mammals (including humans), a coracoid process is prese ...

of a neornithine bird, which in its general shape and particularly the wide and deep attachment for the muscle joining the coracoid and the humerus bone resembles the more basal lineages of galliforms. Additional galliform-like pangalliformes are represented by extinct families from the Paleogene, namely the Gallinuloididae, Paraortygidae and Quercymegapodiidae. In the early Cenozoic, some additional birds may or may not be early Galliformes, though even if they are, they are unlikely to belong to extant families: * †'' Argillipes'' (London Clay Early Eocene of England) * †'' Coturnipes'' (Early Eocene of England, and Virginia, USA?) * †'' Palaeophasianus'' (Willwood Early Eocene of Bighorn County, USA) * †'' Percolinus'' (London Clay Early Eocene of England) * †'' Amitabha'' (Bridger middle Eocene of Forbidden City, USA) – phasianid? * †''"Palaeorallus" alienus'' (middle Oligocene of Tatal-Gol, Mongolia) * †'' Anisolornis'' (Santa Cruz Middle Miocene of Karaihen, Argentina) From the mid-

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

onwards – about 45 Mya or so, true galliforms are known, and these completely replace their older relatives in the early Neogene. Since the earliest representatives of living galliform families apparently belong to the Phasianidae – the youngest family of galliforms, the other families of Galliformes must be at least of Early Eocene origin but might even be as old as the Late Cretaceous. The

ichnotaxon An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxa'' comes from the Greek ίχνος, ''ichnos'' meaning ''track'' and ταξις, ''taxis'' meaning ...

''Tristraguloolithus cracioides'' is based on fossil eggshell fragments from the Late Cretaceous

Oldman Formation The Oldman Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous (Campanian stage) age that underlies much of southern Alberta, Canada. It consists primarily of sandstones that were deposited in fluvial channel and floodplain environments. It was ...

of southern

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada, which are similar to

chachalaca Chachalacas are galliform birds from the genus ''Ortalis''. These birds are found in wooded habitats in the far southern United States (Texas), Mexico, and Central and South America. They are social, can be very noisy and often remain fairly c ...

eggs, but in the absence of bone material, their relationships cannot be determined except that they are apparently avian in origin. Modern genera of phasianids start appearing around the Oligocene-

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

boundary, roughly 25–20 Mya. It is not well known whether the living genera of the other, older, galliform families originated around the same time or earlier, though at least in the New World quail, pre-Neogene forms seem to belong to genera that became entirely extinct later on. A number of Paleogene to mid-Neogene fossils are quite certainly Galliformes, but their exact relationships in the order cannot be determined: * †Galliformes gen. et sp. indet. (Oligocene) – formerly in ''Gallinuloides''; phasianid? * †'' Palaealectoris'' (Agate Fossil Beds Early Miocene of Sioux County, USA) – tetraonine?

List of major taxa

For a long time, the pheasants, partridges, and relatives were indiscriminately lumped in the Phasianidae, variously including or excluding turkeys, grouse, New World quail, and guineafowl, and divided into two subfamilies – the

Phasianinae The Phasianinae ( Horsfield, 1821) are a subfamily of the pheasant family (Phasianidae) of landfowl, the order Galliformes. The subfamily includes true pheasants, tragopans, grouse, turkey and similar birds. Although this subfamily was consid ...

(pheasant-like forms) and the

Perdicinae Perdicinae is a polyphyletic former subfamily of birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae, regrouping the partridges, Old World quails, and francolins. Although this subfamily was considered monophyletic and separated from the pheasants, trago ...

(partridge-like forms). This crude arrangement was long considered to be in serious need of revision, but even with modern DNA sequence analyses and

cladistic Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived char ...

methods, the phylogeny of the Phasianidae has resisted complete resolution.Kimball ''et al.'' (1999, 2001), Crowe ''et al.'' (2006a,b) Palaeortyx

A tentative list of the higher-level galliform

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

, listed in evolutionary sequence, is: * †'' Archaeophasianus'' Lambrecht 1933 (Oligocene? – Late Miocene) * †'' Argillipes'' Harrison & Walker 1977 * †'' Austinornis'' Clarke 2004 'Pedioecetes''_Baird_1858.html" ;"title="Pedioecetes.html" ;"title="'Pedioecetes">'Pedioecetes'' Baird 1858">Pedioecetes.html" ;"title="'Pedioecetes">'Pedioecetes'' Baird 1858(Austin Chalk Late Cretaceous of Fort McKinney, USA) * †''Chambiortyx'' Mourer-Chauviré et al. 2013 * †'' Coturnipes'' Harrison & Walker 1977 * †''Cyrtonyx tedfordi'' (Barstow Late Miocene of Barstow, USA) * †'' Linquornis'' Yeh 1980 (middle Miocene) * †'' Namaortyx'' Mourer-Chauviré, Pickford & 2011 * †'' Palaeorallus alienus'' Kuročkin 1968 nomen dubium * †'' Sobniogallus'' Tomek et al. 2014 * †'' Tristraguloolithus'' Zelenitsky, Hills & Curri 1996 otaxa- cracid?* †'' Procrax'' Tordoff & Macdonald 1957 (middle Eocene? – Early Oligocene) * †'' Paleophasianus'' Wetmore 1940 * †'' Taoperdix'' Milne-Edwards 1869 (Late Oligocene) * Family † Paraortygidae Mourer-Chauviré 1992 ** †'' Pirortyx'' Brodkorb 1964 ** †'' Scopelortyx'' Mourer-Chauviré, Pickford & Senut 2015 ** †'' Paraortyx '' Gaillard 1908 sensu Brodkorb 1964 ** †'' Xorazmortyx'' Zelenkov & Panteleyev 2019 * Family † Quercymegapodiidae Mourer-Chauviré 1992 ** †'' Taubacrex'' de Alvarenga 1988 ** †'' Ameripodius'' de Alvarenga 1995 ** †'' Quercymegapodius'' Mourer-Chauviré 1992 * Family

– mound-builders and scrubfowl, or megapodes ** †'' Mwalau'' Worthy et al. 2015 (Lini's megapode) ** †'' Ngawupodius'' & Ivison 1999 ** '' Brushturkey group'' *** ''

Talegalla ''Talegalla'' is a genus of bird in the family Megapodiidae. First described by René Primevère Lesson in 1828, it contains the following species: * Red-billed brushturkey (''Talegalla cuvieri'') * Black-billed brushturkey (''Talegalla fusci ...

'' Lesson 1828 *** '' Leipoa'' Gould 1840 'Progura''_de_Vis_1889;_''Chosornis.html" ;"title="Progura.html" ;"title="'Progura">'Progura'' de Vis 1889; ''Chosornis">Progura.html" ;"title="'Progura">'Progura'' de Vis 1889; ''Chosornis'' de Vis 1889; ''Palaeopelargus'' de Vis 1892] (Malleefowl) *** ''Alectura'' Gray 1831 [''Catheturus'' Swainson 1837] (Australian Brushturkeys) *** ''Aepypodius'' Oustalet 1880 ** ''

Scrubfowl group The scrubfowl are the genus '' Megapodius '' of the mound-builders, stocky, medium-large chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet in the family Megapodiidae. They are found from south-east Asia to north Australia and islands in the we ...

'' *** '' Macrocephalon'' Müller 1846 'Megacephalon''_Gray_1846;_''Megacephalon.html" ;"title="Megacephalon.html" ;"title="'Megacephalon">'Megacephalon'' Gray 1846; ''Megacephalon">Megacephalon.html" ;"title="'Megacephalon">'Megacephalon'' Gray 1846; ''Megacephalon'' Gray 1844 nomen nudum; ''Galeocephala'' Mathews 1926] (Maleos) *** ''Eulipoa'' Ogilvie-Grant 1893 (Moluccan Megapodes) *** ''Megapodius'' Gaimard 1823 non (sic) Mathews 1913 [''Megathelia'' Mathews 1914; '' Amelous'' Gloger 1841] * Family

– chachalacas, guans and curassows ** †'' Archaealectrornis'' Crowe & Short 1992 (Oligocene) ** †'' Boreortalis'' Brodkorb 1954 ** †'' Palaeonossax'' Wetmore 1956 (Brule Late Oligocene of South Dakota, USA) **

Penelopinae The guans are a number of bird genera which make up the largest group in the family Cracidae. They are found mainly in northern South America, southern Central America, and a few adjacent Caribbean islands. There is also the peculiar horned gua ...

Bonaparte 1851 (Guans) *** ''

Chamaepetes ''Chamaepetes'' is a genus of bird in the family Cracidae. It contains the following species: References

Chamaepetes, Bird genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Galliformes-stub ...

'' Wagler 1832 (black & sickle-winged guan) *** ''

Penelopina The highland guan (''Penelopina nigra'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is found in the highlands of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane ...

'' Reichenbach 1861 (Highland Guans) *** '' Aburria'' Reichenbach 1853 'Opetioptila''_Sundevall_1873;_''Pipile.html" ;"title="Opetioptila.html" ;"title="'Opetioptila">'Opetioptila'' Sundevall 1873; ''Pipile">Opetioptila.html" ;"title="'Opetioptila">'Opetioptila'' Sundevall 1873; ''Pipile'' Bonaparte 1856 non ''Pipilo'' Vieillot 1816; ''Cumana'' Coues 1900] *** ''Penelope (genus), Penelope'' Merrem 1786 [''Penelopsis'' Bonaparte 1856] ** Cracinae Rafinesque 1815 *** '' Ortalis'' Merrem 1786 'Ganix''_Rafinesque_1815.html" ;"title="Ganix.html" ;"title="' 'Ganix''_Rafinesque_1815">Ganix.html"_;"title="'Ganix">'Ganix''_Rafinesque_1815_(Chachalacas) ***_''Oreophasis.html" ;"title="Ganix">'Ganix'' Rafinesque 1815">Ganix.html" ;"title="'Ganix">'Ganix'' Rafinesque 1815 (Chachalacas) *** ''Oreophasis">Ganix">'Ganix'' Rafinesque 1815">Ganix.html" ;"title="'Ganix">'Ganix'' Rafinesque 1815 (Chachalacas) *** ''Oreophasis'' Gray 1844 (Horned Guans) *** Cracini Rafinesque 1815 (Curassows) **** ''Nothocrax'' Burmeister 1856 (Nocturnal Curassows) **** ''Pauxi'' Temminck 1813 [''Ourax'' Cuvier 1817; '' Lophocerus'' Swainson 1837 non Hemprich & Ehrenberg 1833; '' Urax'' Reichenbach 1850] **** '' Mitu (bird), Mitu'' Lesson 1831 (razor-billed curassows) **** '' Crax'' Linnaeus 1758 * Suborder Phasiani ** Family † Gallinuloididae – tentatively placed here *** †'' Gallinuloides'' Eastman 1900 'Palaeobonasa''_Shufeldt_1915.html" ;"title="Palaeobonasa.html" ;"title="' 'Palaeobonasa''_Shufeldt_1915">Palaeobonasa.html"_;"title="'Palaeobonasa">'Palaeobonasa''_Shufeldt_1915***_†''Paraortygoides.html" ;"title="Palaeobonasa">'Palaeobonasa'' Shufeldt 1915">Palaeobonasa.html" ;"title="'Palaeobonasa">'Palaeobonasa'' Shufeldt 1915*** †''Paraortygoides">Palaeobonasa">'Palaeobonasa'' Shufeldt 1915">Palaeobonasa.html" ;"title="'Palaeobonasa">'Palaeobonasa'' Shufeldt 1915*** †''Paraortygoides'' Mayr 2000 ** Family

– guineafowl *** ''Guttera'' Wagler 1832 *** ''Numida'' Linnaeus 1764 [''Querelea'' Reichenbach 1852] (Helmeted Guineafowl) *** ''Acryllium'' Gray 1840 (Vulturine Guineafowl) *** '' Agelastes'' Bonaparte 1850 ** Family

– New World quail *** †'' Miortyx'' Miller 1944 *** †'' Nanortyx'' Weigel 1963 *** †'' Neortyx'' Holman 1961 *** Ptilopachinae Bowie, Coehn & Crowe 2013 **** '' Ptilopachus'' Swainson 1837 *** Odontophorinae Gould 1844 **** '' Rhynchortyx'' Ogilvie-Grant 1893 (Tawny-faced Quail) **** '' Oreortyx '' Baird 1858 'Orortyx''_Coues_1882.html" ;"title="Orortyx.html" ;"title="'Orortyx">'Orortyx'' Coues 1882">Orortyx.html" ;"title="'Orortyx">'Orortyx'' Coues 1882(Mountain Quail) **** ''Dendrortyx'' Gould 1844 (Wood Partridges) **** '' Philortyx'' Gould 1846 non Des Murs 1854 (Banded Quail) **** ''Colinus'' Goldfuss 1820 [''Eupsychortyx'' Gould 1844; '' Gnathodon'' 1842; ''

Ortygia Ortygia (; it, Ortigia; grc-gre, Ὀρτυγία) is a small island which is the historical centre of the city of Syracuse, Sicily. The island, also known as the ''Città Vecchia'' (Old City), contains many historical landmarks. The name origi ...

'' Boie 1826; '' Philortyx'' Des Murs 1854 non Gould 1846] (Bobwhites) **** ''

Callipepla ''Callipepla'' is a genus of birds in the New World quail family, Odontophoridae. They are sometimes referred to as crested quails. Species References External links Bird genera * Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Gal ...

'' Wagler 1832 'Lophortyx''_Bonaparte_1838.html" ;"title="Lophortyx.html" ;"title="' 'Lophortyx''_Bonaparte_1838">Lophortyx.html"_;"title="'Lophortyx">'Lophortyx''_Bonaparte_1838() ****_''Cyrtonyx.html" ;"title="Lophortyx">'Lophortyx'' Bonaparte 1838">Lophortyx.html" ;"title="'Lophortyx">'Lophortyx'' Bonaparte 1838() **** ''Cyrtonyx">Lophortyx">'Lophortyx'' Bonaparte 1838">Lophortyx.html" ;"title="'Lophortyx">'Lophortyx'' Bonaparte 1838() **** ''Cyrtonyx'' Gould 1844 () **** ''Dactylortyx'' Ogilvie-Grant 1893 (Singing Quail) **** ''Odontophorus'' Vieillot 1816 [''Dentophorus'' Boie 1828] (Wood Quail) ** Family Phasianidae –

s and relatives *** †'' Alectoris” pliocaena'' Tugarinov 1940b *** †'' Bantamyx'' Kuročkin 1982 *** †'' Diangallus'' Hou 1985 *** †'' “Gallus” beremendensis'' Jánossy 1976b *** †'' “Gallus” europaeus'' Harrison 1978 *** †'' Lophogallus'' Zelenkov & Kuročkin 2010 *** †'' Megalocoturnix'' Sánchez Marco 2009 *** †'' Miophasianus'' Brodkorb 1952 Miophasianus''_Lambrecht_1933_nomen_nudum_;_''Miogallus.html" ;"title="' Miophasianus'' Lambrecht 1933 nomen nudum ; ''Miogallus">' Miophasianus'' Lambrecht 1933 nomen nudum ; ''Miogallus'' Lambrecht 1933 ] *** †''Palaeocryptonyx'' Depéret 1892 [''Chauvireria'' Boev 1997; ''Pliogallus'' Tugarinov 1940b non Gaillard 1939; ''Lambrechtia'' Janossy 1974 ] *** †'' Palaeortyx'' Milne-Edwards 1869 'Palaeoperdix''_Milne-Edwards_1869.html" ;"title="Palaeoperdix.html" ;"title="' 'Palaeoperdix''_Milne-Edwards_1869">Palaeoperdix.html"_;"title="'Palaeoperdix">'Palaeoperdix''_Milne-Edwards_1869***_†''Plioperdix.html" ;"title="Palaeoperdix">'Palaeoperdix'' Milne-Edwards 1869">Palaeoperdix.html" ;"title="'Palaeoperdix">'Palaeoperdix'' Milne-Edwards 1869*** †''Plioperdix">Palaeoperdix">'Palaeoperdix'' Milne-Edwards 1869">Palaeoperdix.html" ;"title="'Palaeoperdix">'Palaeoperdix'' Milne-Edwards 1869*** †''Plioperdix'' Kretzoi 1955 [''Pliogallus'' Tugarinov 1940 nec Gaillard 1939] *** †''Rustaviornis'' Burchak-Abramovich & Meladze 1972 *** †''Schaubortyx'' Brodkorb 1964 *** †''Shandongornis'' Yeh 1997 *** †'' Shanxiornis'' Wang et al. 2006 *** †'' Tologuica'' Zelenkov & Kuročkin 2009 *** Subfamily

Rollulinae Rollulinae is a bird subfamily containing the jungle and wood partridges. They are the most basal member of the family Phasianidae, having diverged during the late Eocene or early Oligocene, about 30-35 million years ago. Many taxonomists former ...

Bonaparte, 1850 *** Subfamily

****Tribe Lerwini von Boetticher, 1939 – snow partridge ****Tribe Ithaginini Wolters 197 – blood pheasant ****Tribe Lophophorini Gray, 1841 – monals, monal-partridges, and tragopans ****Tribe Pucrasiini Wolters 1976 – koklass pheasant ****Tribe Meleagridini – turkey ****Tribe Tetraonini Leach 1820 – grouse ****Tribe Rhizotherini – long-billed partridges ****Tribe Phasianini Horsfield 1821 – true pheasants and partridges **** ***Subfamily

Pavoninae The Phasianinae ( Horsfield, 1821) are a subfamily of the pheasant family (Phasianidae) of landfowl, the order Galliformes. The subfamily includes true pheasants, tragopans, grouse, turkey and similar birds. Although this subfamily was consid ...

****Tribe Pavonini Rafinesque 1815 – peafowl, arguses, and ''Tropicoperdix'' partridges ****Tribe Polyprectronini Blyth 1852 – peacock-pheasants, Asian spurfowl, and crimson-headed partridge ****Tribe

Gallini Gallini may refer to: * Gallini (surname), an Italian surname * Gallini (bird), a tribe of gamebird including francolins, bamboo partridges, and junglefowl (including the chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domest ...

Brehm 1831 – junglefowl, bamboo partridges, and true francolins ****Tribe

Coturnicini Coturnicini is a tribe of birds in the subfamily Phasianinae. It contains the Old World quail, snowcocks, and African spurfowl, among others. Members of this tribe have a wide range throughout Africa, Eurasia, and Australasia. This tribe conta ...

Reichenbach, 1848 - Old World quail, snowcocks, and allies The relationships of many pheasants and partridges were formerly very badly resolved and much confounded by adaptive radiation (in the former) and convergent evolution (in the latter). Thus, the bulk of the Phasianidae was alternatively be treated as a single subfamily Phasianinae. The grouse, turkeys, true pheasants, etc., would then become

tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

of this subfamily, similar to how the Coturnicinae are commonly split into a quail and a spurfowl tribe. In 2021, Kimball ''et al''. found the family to comprise three distinct subfamilies, with two containing multiple genera; these results were followed by the International Ornithological Congress. The partridge of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

is not closely related to other partridge-like Galliformes, as already indicated by its

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

coloration and possession of more than 14 rectrices, traits it shares with the other advanced phasianids. However, among these its relationships are obscure; it is unclear whether it is closer to the turkeys or to certain short-tailed pheasants like ''

Ithaginis The blood pheasant (''Ithaginis cruentus''), also known as blood partridge, is the only species in genus ''Ithaginis'' of the pheasant family. It is a relatively small, short-tailed pheasant that is widespread and is fairly common in eastern Him ...

'', '' Lophophorus'', ''

Pucrasia The koklass pheasant (''Pucrasia macrolopha'') is a species of gamebird, being closely related to progenitive grouse that lived during the Miocene. They are distantly related to pheasants and are most closely related to grouse and turkeys. Ko ...

'', and '' Tragopan''. In 2021, Kimball ''et al''. found it to belong to the subfamily Phasianini, alongside the true pheasants.

Phylogeny

Living Galliformes based on the work by John Boyd.John Boyd's websit

Description

As their name suggests they are chicken-like in appearance, with rounded bodies and blunt wings, and range in size from small at 15 cm (6 inches) to large at 120 cm (4 feet). They are mainly terrestrial birds and their wings are short and rounded for short-distance flight. Galliforms are anisodactyly, anisodactyl like passerines, but some of the adult males grow spurs that point backwards. Gallinaceous birds are arboreal or terrestrial animals; many prefer not to fly, but instead walk and run for locomotion. They live 5–8 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity. They can be found worldwide and in a variety of habitats, including forests, deserts, and grasslands. They use visual displays and vocalizations for communication, courtship, fighting, territoriality, and brooding. They have diverse mating strategies: some are monogamous, while others are polygamous or polygynandrous. Male courtship behavior includes elaborate visual displays of plumage. They breed seasonally in accordance with the climate and lay three to 16 eggs per year in nests built on the ground or in trees. Gallinaceous birds feed on a variety of plant and animal material, which may include fruits, seeds, leaves, shoots, flowers, tubers, roots, insects, snails, worms, lizards, snakes, small rodents, and eggs. These birds vary in size from the diminutive

king quail The king quail (''Synoicus chinensis''), also known as the blue-breasted quail, Asian blue quail, Chinese painted quail, or Chung-Chi, is a species of Old World quail in the family Phasianidae. This species is the smallest "true quail", rangin ...

(''Coturnix chinensis'') (5 in) long and weighing 28–40 g (1–1.4 oz) to the largest extant galliform species, the North American

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally d ...

(''Meleagris gallopavo''), which may weigh as much as 14 kg (30.5 lb) and may exceed 120 cm (47 in). The galliform bird species with the largest wingspan and largest overall length (including a train of over 6 feet) is most likely the green peafowl (''Pavo muticus''). Most galliform genera are plump-bodied with thick necks and moderately long legs, with rounded and rather short wings.

Grouse Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetraonidae), a classification supported by mitochondria ...

francolin Francolins are birds in the tribe Gallini that traditionally have been placed in the genus ''Francolinus'', but now commonly are divided into multiple genera. As previously defined, they were paraphyletic as the genus '' Pternistis'', which wa ...

s, and

s are typical in their outwardly corpulent silhouettes. Adult males of many galliform birds have one to several sharp horny spurs on the back of each leg, which they use for fighting. In several lineages, pronounced sexual dimorphism occurs, and among each galliform clade, the more apomorphic ("advanced") lineages tend to be more sexually dimorphic.

Flightlessness

While most galliformes are rather reluctant flyers, truly flightless forms are unknown among the extant members of the order. Though they are often mischaracterised as weak-flying, Galliformes are actually highly specialised for their particular flight style, bearing extremely powerful flight muscles, and some species are even migratory. Adult

snowcock The snowcocks or snowfowl are a group of bird species in the genus ''Tetraogallus'' of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds that breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas and we ...

s are, however, flightless, requiring gravity to launch, although juveniles can still fly relatively well. Nonetheless, a few birds outside the Galliforme crown-group did produce flightlessness. The genus '' Sylviornis'', a huge prehistorically extinct species of New Caledonia, was flightless, but as opposed to most other flightless birds like ratites or island

rails Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

which become flightless due to

arrested development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

of their flight apparatus and subsequently evolve to larger size, ''Sylviornis'' seems to have become flightless simply due to its bulk, with the wing reduction following a consequence, not the reason for its flightlessness. The gigantic Australian mihirungs, which may be closer to Galliformes than to Anseriformes as traditionally expected, achieved flightlessness more traditionally, strongly reducing their wings and keel. They were massive herbivorous birds, among the largest avian dinosaurs of all time. By contrast, the stem-galliform '' Scopelortyx'' appears to have been more aerial than modern fowl, with a flight style more suited for gliding and soaring.

Behaviour and ecology

Most of the galliform birds are more or less resident, but some of the smaller

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

species (such as quail) do migrate over considerable distances. Altitudinal migration is evidently quite common amongst

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

species, and a few species of subtropical and subarctic regions must reach their watering and/or foraging areas through sustained flight. Species known to make extensive flights include the ptarmigans, sage-grouse (''Centrocercus''), crested partridge, green peafowl, crested argus, mountain peacock-pheasant (''Polyplectron inopinatum''),

koklass pheasant The koklass pheasant (''Pucrasia macrolopha'') is a species of gamebird, being closely related to progenitive grouse that lived during the Miocene. They are distantly related to pheasants and are most closely related to grouse and turkeys. Ko ...

(''Pucrasia macrolopha''), Reeves's pheasant, and (''Syrmaticus reevesii''). Other species — most of the

New World quail The New World quail are small birds only distantly related to the Old World quail, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family, the Odontophoridae, whereas Old World quail are in the pheasant ...

(also known as the ‘toothed quail’), the enigmatic stone partridge (''Ptilopachus petrosus'') of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, guineafowl, and eared pheasants ('' Crossoptilon'') — are all notable for their daily excursions on foot which may take them many miles in a given day. Some Galliformes are adapted to grassland habitat, and these genera are remarkable for their long, thin necks, long legs, and large, wide wings. Fairly unrelated

like the crested fireback (''Lophura ignita''), vulturine guineafowl (''Acryllium vulturinum''), and

(''Leipoa ocellata'') are outwardly similar in their body types (see also convergent evolution). Most species that show only limited sexual dimorphism are notable for the great amount of locomotion required to find food throughout the majority of the year. Those species that are highly sedentary but with marked ecological transformations over seasons exhibit marked distinct differences between the sexes in size and/or appearance. Eared-pheasants, guineafowl, toothed quail, and the

snow partridge The snow partridge (''Lerwa lerwa'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae found widely distributed across the high-altitude Himalayan regions of India, Pakistan, Nepal and China. It is the only species within its genus, and is thoug ...

(''Lerwa lerwa'') are examples of limited sexual differences and requirements for traveling over wide terrain to forage.

Winter ecology

Gallinaceous birds are well adapted to regions with cold winters. Their larger size, increased plumage, and lower activity levels help them to withstand the cold and conserve energy. Under such conditions, they are able to change their feeding strategy to that of a ruminant. This allows them to feed on and extract energy and nutrients from coarse, fibrous plant material, such as

bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spec ...

s, twigs, and conifer needles. This provides a virtually unlimited source of accessible food and requires little energy to harvest.

Food and feeding

Herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

to slightly

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

galliforms, forming the majority of the group, are typically stoutly built and have short, thick bills primarily adapted for foraging on the ground for rootlets or the consumption of other plant material such as heather shoots. The young birds will also take insects.

Peafowl Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are ref ...

junglefowl Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus ''Gallus'' in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They diverged from their common ancestor about 4–6 million years ago. Although origin ...

and most of the subtropical pheasant genera have very different nutritional requirements from typical Palearctic genera. The

Himalayan monal The Himalayan monal (''Lophophorus impejanus''), also called Impeyan monal and Impeyan pheasant, is a pheasant native to Himalayan forests and shrublands at elevations of . It is part of the family Phasianidae and is listed as Least Concern on th ...

(''Lophophorus impejanus'') has been observed digging in the rotting wood of deadfall in a similar manner to woodpeckers to extract invertebrates, even bracing itself with aid of its squared tail. The

cheer pheasant The cheer pheasant (''Catreus wallichii''), also known as Wallich's pheasant or chir pheasant, is a vulnerable species of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the only member in the genus ''Catreus''. The scientific name commemorates Danish ...

(''Catreus wallichi''), crested argus (''Rheinardia ocellata''), the crested partridge (''Rollulus roulroul'') and the

crested guineafowl The crested guineafowl (''Guttera pucherani'') is a member of the Numididae, the guineafowl bird family. It is found in open forest, woodland and forest-savanna mosaics in sub-Saharan Africa. Description It has a total length around 50 cm ...

(''Guttera pucherani'') are similar ecologically to the Himalayan monal in that they too forage in rotting wood for termites,

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

and

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e, molluscs,

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group can ...

s and young rodents. Typical peafowl (''Pavo''), most of the peacock-pheasants (''Polyplectron''), the Bulwer's pheasant (''Lophura bulweri''), the ruffed pheasants ('' Chrysolophus'') and the hill partridges (''

Arborophila ''Arborophila'' is a bird genus in the family Phasianidae. The genus has the second most members within the Galliformes after ''Pternistis'', although ''Arborophila'' species vary very little in bodily proportions with different species varying ...

'') have narrow, relatively delicate bills, poorly suited for digging. These galliform genera prefer instead to capture live invertebrates in

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

, in sand, or shallow pools or along stream banks. These genera are also outwardly similar in that they each have exceptionally long, delicate legs and toes and the tendency to frequent seasonally wet habitats to forage, especially during chick-rearing. The blue peafowl (''Pavo cristatus'') is famed in its native

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

for its appetite for snakes – even poisonous cobras – which it dispatches with its strong feet and sharp bill. The

Lady Amherst's pheasant Lady Amherst's pheasant (''Chrysolophus amherstiae'') is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''khrusolophos'', "with golden crest". The English name and ''amherstiae'' commemorates Sara ...

(''Chrysolophus amherstiae''), green peafowl (''Pavo muticus''), Bulwer's pheasant and the

crestless fireback The crestless fireback (''Lophura erythrophthalma'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened ...

(''Lophura erythrophthalma'') are notable for their aptitude to forage for crustaceans such as crayfish and other aquatic small animals in shallow streams and amongst rushes in much the same manner as some members of the rail family ( Rallidae). Similarly, although wild turkeys (''Meleagris gallopavo'') have a diet primarily of vegetation, they will eat insects, mice, lizards, and amphibians, wading in water to hunt for the latter. Domestic hens (''Gallus domesticus'') share this opportunistic behaviour and will eat insects, mice, worms, and amphibians. Capercaillie Lomvi 2004

The tragopans ('' Tragopan''), mikado pheasant (''Syrmaticus mikado''), and several species of grouse and ptarmigan are exceptional in their largely vegetarian and

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

foraging habitats; grouse are especially notable for being able to feed on plants rich in terpenes and quinones – such as

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

or conifers –, which are often avoided by other herbivores. Many species of moderate altitudes—for example the long-tailed pheasants of the genus ''

Syrmaticus __NOTOC__ The genus ''Syrmaticus'' contains the five species of long-tailed pheasants. The males have short spurs and usually red facial wattles, but otherwise differ wildly in appearance. The hens (females) and chicks of all the species have a ...

''—also find a great deal of their daily nutritional requirements in the

tree canopies In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crown ...

, especially during the snowy and rainy periods when foraging on the ground is dangerous and less than fruitful for a variety of reasons. Although members of the genus ''Syrmaticus'' are capable of subsisting almost entirely on vegetarian materials for months at a time, this is not true for many of the subtropical genera. For example, the great argus (''Argusianus argus'') and crested argus may do most of their foraging during rainy months in the canopy of the jungle, as well. There they are known to forage on slugs, snails, ants, and amphibians to the exclusion of plant material. How they forage in the forest canopy during the rainy months is unknown.

Reproduction

Most galliforms are very prolific, with clutches regularly exceeding 10 eggs in many species. In contrast to most birds which are – at least for a particular breeding season – monogamous, galliforms are often polygynous or polygamous. Such species can be recognized by their pronounced sexual dimorphism. Galliform young are very precocious and roam with their mothers – or both parents in monogamous species – mere hours after hatching. The most extreme case are the

, where the adults do not brood, but leave incubation to mounds of rotting vegetation,

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

ash, or hot sand. The young must dig out of the nest mounds after hatching, but they emerge from the eggs fully feathered, and upon leaving the mound, they are able to fly considerable distances.

Common species

Grouse and ptarmigans Family Tetraonidae Grouse, ptarmigans, and prairie chickens are all chicken-like birds with short, curved, strong bills, part of the family Tetraonidae. This group includes 25 species residing mostly in North America. They are mainly ground-dwellers and have short, rounded wings for brief flights. They are well adapted to winter by growing feather “snowshoes” on their feet and roosting beneath the snow. They range in size from the white-tailed ptarmigan to the sage grouse. Their plumage is dense and soft and is most commonly found in shades of red, brown, and gray to camouflage to the ground. They are polygamous and male courtship behavior includes strutting and dancing and aggressive fighting for possession of females. The typical

clutch size __NOTOC__ A clutch of egg (biology), eggs is the group of eggs produced by birds, amphibians, or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest. In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators (or removal by humans, for exam ...

is between seven and 12 eggs. Turkeys Family Meleagrididae Turkeys are large, long-legged birds that can grow up to in height and weigh up to in the wild. They have a long, broad, rounded tail with 14-19 blunt feathers. They have a naked, wrinkled head and feathered body. The North American wild turkey – ''Meleagris gallopavo'' – has five distinct subspecies (Eastern, Rio Grande, Florida sceola Merriam's, and Gould's). Hybrids also exist where the ranges of these subspecies overlap. All are native only to North America, though transplanted populations exist elsewhere. Their plumage differs slightly by subspecies, but is generally dark to black for males, with buff to cream highlights, and generally drab brown for females. The feathers are quite iridescent and can take on distinct reddish/copper hues in sunlight. Their feathers are well defined with broad, square ends, giving the bird the appearance of being covered in scales. Males have a “beard” of coarse black bristles hanging from the center of their upper breasts and tend to have more vibrantly colored plumage than do females. They breed in the spring and their typical clutch size is between 10 and 12 eggs. The

ocellated turkey The ocellated turkey (''Meleagris ocellata'') is a species of turkey residing primarily in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, as well as in parts of Belize and Guatemala. A relative of the North American wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo''), it was ...

(''Meleagris ocellata''), a different species of turkey, currently exists only in a portion of the

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...

peninsula. After the 19th and early 20th centuries, wild turkey populations dropped significantly because of hunting and habitat loss. However, populations now flourish again due to hunting management and transplanting. The ocellated turkey, not commonly hunted, is currently threatened due to ongoing habitat loss in the Yucutan. Pheasants, quail, and partridges Family Phasianidae The family is divided into four groups: 30 species of new world quail, residing between Paraguay and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, 11 species of Old World quail in

, Australia, and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, 94 species of partridges, and 48 species of pheasants. This family includes a wide range of bird sizes from a quail to pheasants up to almost . Pheasants and quail have heavy, round bodies and rounded wings. Though they have short legs, they are very fast runners when escaping predators. Chachalacas Family Cracidae

Chachalacas Chachalacas are galliform birds from the genus ''Ortalis''. These birds are found in wooded habitats in the far southern United States (Texas), Mexico, and Central and South America. They are social, can be very noisy and often remain fairly c ...

are found in the chaparral ecosystems from southern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

through

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and Costa Rica. They are mainly arboreal and make their nests in trees above the ground. They are large, long-legged birds that can grow up to long. They have long tails and are chicken-like in appearance. Their frail-looking yet sturdy nests are made of sticks and leaves. Their clutch size is three or four eggs. The males make a unique, loud,

mating call A mating call is the auditory signal used by animals to attract mates. It can occur in males or females, but literature is abundantly favored toward researching mating calls in females. In addition, mating calls are often the subject of mate choic ...

that give them their name. Chachalacas feed mainly on berries, but also eat insects. They are a popular game bird, as their flesh is good to eat. They are also commonly domesticated as pets.