Red Junglefowl: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Birds That Walk · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. This wild bird is the main ancestor of every chicken breed. People first tamed it about 8,000 years ago.
2. A flock has a strict pecking order. At dawn the top rooster always crows first, and the others follow from highest rank to lowest.
3. When a rooster finds food near a hen, he clucks, bobs his head and keeps picking the treat up and dropping it to show it off.
4. It gobbles termites in large numbers: about 1,000 were found in the throat pouch of a single bird.
5. It takes regular dust baths. The dust soaks up extra oil from its feathers and then falls away.

The quiz

1. Which farm animal comes mainly from the red junglefowl?

• The turkey
• The duck
• The chicken (correct)
• The goose

It is the main wild ancestor of today's chickens.

2. In a flock, which rooster crows first?

• The youngest one
• The top-ranking one (correct)
• The one nearest the hens
• A different one each day

The top-ranking rooster always crows first.

3. What does a rooster do with food to catch a hen's attention?

• Picks it up and drops it again and again (correct)
• Buries it in the ground
• Hides it under a leaf
• Throws it into water

In tidbitting, he picks up and drops the food while clucking.

4. About how many termites were found in one junglefowl's throat pouch?

• About 10
• About 100,000
• None, it never eats insects
• About 1,000 (correct)

About 1,000 termites were found in a single bird's crop.

5. Why does the red junglefowl bathe in dust?

• To change colour
• To keep the right amount of oil in its feathers (correct)
• To cool its eggs
• To make its comb grow

Dust soaks up extra oil from the plumage.

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