About Gallus sonneratii Temminck, 1813
Description: The male Gallus sonneratii has a black cape marked with ochre spots, and finely patterned body plumage over a grey base colour. Its elongated neck feathers are dark, ending in a small, hard, yellowish plate. This unusual structure makes these feathers popular for making high-grade artificial flies. Males have red wattles and combs, but these features are not as strongly developed as those of the red junglefowl. Male legs are red and have spurs, while female legs are yellow and usually lack spurs. The species has long, sickle-shaped central tail feathers. Males grow an eclipse plumage, in which they moult their colourful neck feathers in summer during or after the breeding season. Females are duller in colour, have black and white streaking on the underparts, and have yellow legs. Distribution and habitat: This species is endemic to India. Today, it is found mainly in peninsular India near the northern boundary of its range, and occurs primarily across the Indian Peninsula, while its range extends into Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and southern Rajasthan. It inhabits thickets, forest floors and open scrub. The red junglefowl is mostly found along the Himalayan foothills, and the two species have largely non-overlapping ranges, with a region of overlap in the Aravalli range.
