The Green Junglefowl, Gallus varius also known as Javan Junglefowl,
Forktail or Green
 Javanese
Junglefowl is a medium-sized, up to 75cm long, bird in the pheasants
family Phasianidae. It is native to Java, Bali, Lombok and nearby
islands in Indonesia. It has been introduced to the Cocos (Keeling)
Islands where there is a small wild population.
The coloration of the male Green Junglefowl differs from that of the
female. The male is mainly green and black feathered. Its head is topped
by a light blue comb, which turns purple or red towards the top. Its
wattle is also of the same colour but is bordered with blue on the edges
and yellow closer to the throat. The female is mostly brown with
occasional green feathers and has no comb.
The Green Junglefowl is being maintained and increasingly bred in
captivity as its geetic diversity is disappearing. This is because these
birds are bred with domestic chickens by many people, producing a hybrid
known as the Bekisar. The Bekisar has become very popular in the East
Java province and has become the mascot-bird of the area. Therefore the
Green Junglefowl requires more protected conditions than chickens.
However, it is known to be able to fly more strongly than chickens, and
has been seen flying from island to island in its native range, where it
lives and breeds along coastal areas.
The Green Junglefowl usually lives in groups of two to five in the
wild and led by a dominant male, who takes the flock to feed and drink
and then back into the cover of the forest. In the night the flock
roosts in bamboo stands at 15-20 feet above the forest floor. In the
breeding season the dominant males in each flock are challenged by other
males without flocks. The two males would clap their wings and crow
loudly while fighting each other with their clawed feet.
The captive Green Junglefowl requires warm aviaries with lots of
foliage and cover due to their shy nature and are fed with grains and
seeds, as well as fruit and insects as these are the same type of food
they would feed on in the wild. This bird has also been known for a long
time as a pet animal because of its beauty and unique call.
The Green Junglefowl is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species. |
