Galliformes
chicken-like birds
(Also: megapodes, curassows, pheasants, quails, and relatives)

Galliformes is a large and diverse group comprising about 70 genera and more than 250 species. Taxa within Galliformes are commonly referred to as 'gallinaceous birds' (meaning chicken-like) or game birds (as many species are hunted). There is much ongoing discussion about the number of recognized families within Galliformes. Howard and Moore’s Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World (2003) lists: Megapodiidae (scrub fowl, brush-turkeys, mallee fowl), Cracidae (guans, chachalacas, curassows), Numididae (Guineafowl), Odontophoridae (New World quails) and Phasianidae (grouse, turkeys, pheasants and partridges). Gallinaceous birds are chicken-like in appearance, with small to large bodies and blunt-wings. Plumage coloration ranges from cryptic to dark to brightly colorful. Some gallinaceous birds have elaborate head and neck ornamentation including wattles and casques. Some are primarily arboreal and others are terrestrial. Social groups may range from solitary dwellers to mated pairs to gregarious flocks. Mating systems range from monogamy to polygyny to polygynandry. Megapodes, also known as mound builders, bury their eggs, which are incubated by heat from decaying vegetation, sun-warmed sand, or geothermal sources. Cracids may play an important role in the forest ecosystem as seed predators and dispersers. Some phasianoid galliforms have been domesticated and are kept as ornamentals or are bred and raised for human consumption. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Dickinson, 2003; Dyke, et al., 2003; Johnsgard, 1999; Madge and McGowan, 2002; Sibley and Ahlquist, 1990)

As a group, Galliformes has a nearly worldwide distribution. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Johnsgard, 1999; Payne, 2000)

Galliform taxa inhabit a diversity of habits including primary forests, deserts, scrub forests, cultivated lands, bamboo thickets and alpine meadows. (Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Johnsgard, 1983; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Madge and McGowan, 2002; Stiles and Skutch, 1991)

Gallinaceous birds are chicken-like in appearance, with small to large bodies and blunt-wings. Plumage coloration ranges from cryptic to dark to brightly colorful. Some gallinaceous birds have elaborate head and neck ornamentation including feathers, wattles and casques. Gallinaceous birds range broadly in weight from roughly 275 g to 9.5 kg. Tail length is variable by species, from appearing almost tailless to long (1 m) with colorful and elaborate patterns. The legs are usually strong and one or more spurs may be present on the tarsus. Some species are sexually monomorphic in size and plumage coloration, while others are sexually dimorphic. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Madge and McGowan, 2002; Stiles and Skutch, 1991)

Gallinaceous birds exhibit a diversity of mating systems including monogamy, polygyny and polygynandry. Pair bonds, if evident, may last only through copulation or may persist over multiple breeding seasons. Courtship behaviors may entail elaborate displays of brightly colored skin and plumage. In some species dominance hierarchies exist, and high-ranking males often have greater mating success than lower ranking males. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Dickson, 1992; Johnsgard, 1983; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Madge and McGowan, 2002; Stiles and Skutch, 1991)

Galliform taxa may be sedentary or migratory. Most species breed seasonally in relation to local climactic conditions. Gallinaceous birds may nest on the ground or in trees. In some species nests are shallow, and lined with grass or leaves. Megapodes construct incubation mounds in which eggs are incubated environmentally, through the heat generated by decomposing vegetation, sun-warmed sand or geothermal sources. Courtship in some species entails elaborate visual displays in which males may strut about displaying brightly colored plumage or wattles. Females may lay from 2 to 35 eggs over the course of the breeding season. Egg dumping may occur in some species. Egg coloration varies, from white or creamy to brown or spotted. Chicks are precocial, able to walk, forage and fly shortly after hatching. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Johnsgard, 1983; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Madge and McGowan, 2002; Stiles and Skutch, 1991)

In gallinaceous birds parental care may include female incubation or environmental incubation (incubation mounds of megapodes). Brooding may be absent, or conducted primarily by the female. Males may guard nest sites, brooding females, or chicks.

In some gallinaceous birds, parents do not feed their young while in others the female provisions chicks with food offered from her bill. Family groups may join flocks at the end of the breeding season. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Johnsgard, 1983; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Madge and McGowan, 2002; Stiles and Skutch, 1991)

Some gallinaceous birds may live for five to eight years (grouse) in the wild and others may survive up to 30 years in captivity (great argus (Argusianus argus)). (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Johnsgard, 1983)

Gallinaceous birds may be either arboreal or terrestrial. Although some fly long distances, most move about mainly by walking and fly relatively infrequently. Many species roost in trees and are most active at dawn and dusk. Gallinaceous birds may be seen dust-bathing in open areas, usually in close proximity to scrub or other ready cover. Arboreal species forage mainly in trees, but may infrequently forage on the ground.

When startled or alarmed some gallinaceous birds fly straight up into the air, then fly horizontally away from the source of the disturbance. Some species are solitary while others spend some part of the year in mated pairs or in flocks. Dominance hierarchies are evident in some species that live in social groups. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Johnsgard, 1983; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Madge and McGowan, 2002; Stiles and Skutch, 1991)

Gallinaceous birds appear to communicate through behavioral posturing, morphological features, vocalizations and other auditory signals. Identifiable threat posturing entails an upright body positioning, whereas submission involves a lowering of the body to the substrate. Gallinaceous birds may have brightly colored skin on the head and neck, wattles or casques, or brightly colored plumage. These features may be elaborately displayed during courtship and intra-sexual competition. The types of vocalizations used by gallinaceous birds are numerous and play an important role in communication. For example, characteristic vocalizations have been observed in conjunction with: courtship, agonistic interactions, submissive posturing, territoriality, and brooding. Other acoustic signaling takes place through the rattling or vibration of feathers of the wing or tail. Some species produce drumming or whirring sounds while in flight. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Johnsgard, 1983; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Stiles and Skutch, 1991)

Gallinaceous birds eat a variety of plant and animal material. Plant material includes: fruits, seeds, leaves, shoots, flowers, tubers and roots. Animal material includes: arthropods, snails, worms, lizards, snakes, small rodents, avian nestlings and eggs. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Johnsgard, 1983; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Santamaria and Franco, 2000; Stiles and Skutch, 1991)

Predators of gallinaceous birds include: snakes (suborder Serpentes), foxes (family Canidae), feral cats (Felis silvestris), feral dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), raptors (order Falconiformes), rodents (order Rodentia), raccoons (Procyon lotor), civet cats (family Viverridae) and corvids (family Corvidae). (Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Dickson, 1992; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995)

Gallinaceous birds may play important ecosystem roles as seed dispersers and seed predators. Cracids may be biological indicators of habitat quality. (IUCN, 2003; Santamaria and Franco, 2000)

Many gallinaceous birds are economically important to humans. Some species have been domesticated and are reared for human consumption of meat and eggs. Most notable in this regard, common fowl ('chickens') derive from domestication of Gallus gallus (red jungle fowl). Grouse, quail, partridges, pheasants and turkeys are important game birds that are hunted regularly in all parts of the world. Many gallinaceous species are hunted primarily for food, although feathers of some species have been collected for ornamentation and clothing manufacture. Some species are becoming important to the ecotourism industry. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Delacour and Amadon, 1973; Dickson, 1992; IUCN, 2003; Johnsgard, 1999; Jones, et al., 1995; Santamaria and Franco, 2000)

Some gallinaceous birds, while foraging for seeds and shoots on cultivated lands, may damage agricultural crops. (Campbell and Lack, 1985; Jones, et al., 1995)

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species includes 107 species of gallinaceous birds. Two species are listed as extinct (double-banded argus (Argusianus bipunctatus), New Zealand quail (Coturnix novaezelandiae)). Alagoas curassow (Mita mita) is listed as extinct in the wild. Habitat loss and hunting are identified as major threats for this group. (2003 IUCN, 2003; Collar, et al., 1994)