A bird of South and Southeast Asia and the wild ancestor of domestic chickens. Males and females differ strongly in appearance.
Males have bright orange neck feathers and green tails. Females are mainly brown with shorter tails.
Red Junglefowl are the wild ancestral form of domestic chickens. Interbreeding allows domestic genes to enter wild populations.
A2023 study compared51 chickens and63 junglefowl, including approximately century-old museum material. Historical specimens provided a reference for change through time.
The authors found increased domestic introgression in modern wild populations, with differences both among populations and among individuals. Museum specimens help identify genetic diversity that conservation can retain.
IUCN Red List (BirdLife listing) · Least Concern · Global
BirdLife lists Least Concern globally. The2023 genomic study identifies loss of wild genetic diversity through domestic introgression as a conservation concern and provides historical references for conserving wild ancestry.