The gallinaceas or galliformes constitute the most profitable order of birds for the domestic economy of man, most of their species are corral; the rest of the specimens are not domestic or provide game. Its name comes from the Latin gallus, which means rooster.
They are commonly called game birds, land birds, gallinaceous birds, wild birds, or galliforms. They belong to this order: partridge, pheasant, quail, birds of the forest, chickens, turkeys, grouse, pigeons and quail.
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Gallinaceae are made up of about 290 species, scattered in areas of all continents with the exception of deserts and areas of perpetual ice. They are scarce on the islands, where they are only present if they have been introduced by humans.
Although gallinaceae flight is often described as weak, their flight style is highly specialized and particular, with powerful flight muscles. Although they are primarily non-migratory specimens, some species are migratory.
These birds feed on food from the ground, so they are important as dispersers of seeds in the ecosystems they inhabit. Many gallinaceous species are adept at fleeing predators, running rather than flying.
Taxonomy
The classification of these birds within the phylogenetic tree, which is one that illustrates the evolutionary links between various species with a presumable common ancestry, is as follows: Animalia (Kingdom), Chordates (Phylum), Aves (Class), Pangalliformes (Clado) and Galliformes (Order).
Families
The gallinaceous order is made up of five families:
- Cracidae (chachalacas and paujíes)
- Odontophoridae (New World quail)
- Phasianidae (chicken, quail, partridge, pheasant, turkey, peacock and grouse)
- Numididae (guinea fowl)
- Megapodiidae (hatchery birds)
Due to their characteristic appearance, turkeys and grouse do not need to be separated into different families, since they share a common origin of partridge or pheasant birds.
The aquatic birds (Anseriformes) that predominate in the islands, form the Galloansarae class together with the Galliformes. They are the foundation of the superorder of Neognatas that are alive today and follow the Paleognathae in modern taxonomic systems.
In the current taxonomy the Phasianidae or pheasant are expanded to include the ancient Tetraonidae or tetraonidae (which include the grouse, lagópods, black grouse, grévoles and prairie roosters) and Meleagrididae or Meleagris (turkeys) as subfamilies.
General characteristics
Gallinaceae are characterized by having a short or medium beak with a curvature in its upper part that facilitates the collection of grains. Its legs have three front toes, arranged in this way to dig into the ground.
Their wings are short and rounded, so most of their specimens are not migratory, choosing to walk and run rather than fly; they are terrestrial or arboreal animals. In the natural state they live from 5 to 8 years and in captivity up to 30 years.
They use visual resources and vocalizations for communication, courtship, struggle, territoriality, and distress strategies. They act as seed dispersers and predators in their habitats. They are used by humans as game animals for their meat and eggs and are also used in recreational hunting.
In most species, males have more colorful plumage than females. Their dimensions vary and range from quail (Coturnix chinensis) 5 inches tall and weighing 28 to 40 grams, to large species such as the North American wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) that weigh up to 14 kg and measure 120 cm.
The vast majority of gallinaceae have a robust body, moderately long legs and a thick neck. Adult males have one or more sharp horny spurs on the back of each leg, which are used for fighting.
Habitat
Gallinaceae are found in a great diversity of habitats: forests, deserts and grasslands. Those species that live in grasslands are characterized by long legs, long necks, and large, wide wings.
These species usually reside in one place during their entire life cycle, the smallest (quail) migrate more or less great distances. Altitudinal migration is common among mountain species and subtropical species use sustained flight to move to irrigation and foraging areas.
The New World quail, the African stone partridge and the guinea fowl take daily walks of several kilometers. The crimson-headed partridge, the snow partridge, the rooster's pin and the bronze-tailed peacock pheasant, travel in pairs on foot and also by air.
Species with limited sexual dimorphism (marked difference in the external appearance of the male and female) show great locomotion; this is vital to find food all year round.
The guinea fowl, the toothed quail and the snow quail are examples of the fact that limited sexual differences are a requirement for traveling long distances in search of forage.
Gallinaceae can adapt to areas with harsh winters. Their large size, abundant plumage and low levels of activity allow them to conserve energy and withstand the cold.
In such environmental conditions they can adapt their diet to that of ruminants, obtaining nutrients from thick and fibrous vegetables such as coniferous needles, branches and shoots. For this reason they can feed, harness and maintain an almost unlimited source of energy.
Nutrition
Most galliforms are herbivorous and partially omnivorous birds. Due to their robust constitution and short, thick beaks, they seek food in the ground as shoots and roots.
Species in subtropics - the vitreous pheasant, crested partridge, crested argus, crested bird, and Himalayan monal - dig in rotten wood to forage and extract termites, ants, larvae, mollusks, crustaceans, and rodents. little ones.
The Flying Pheasant, Bulwer's Pheasant, Peacock, and Peacock Pheasants catch insects in sand, litter, shallow water, or on river banks.
The blue peacock has a predilection for snakes, including poisonous ones. It ingests them because it has a very sharp beak and very strong legs, whose powerful curved nails allow it to firmly catch its prey.
Other species such as: the peacock, the Lady Amherst's pheasant and the blue caruncle pheasant prefer to feed on small stream animals, crabs and reeds.
Wild ducks feed on vegetables, lizards, mice, insects, and amphibians, which they hunt in the water. For its part, the domestic hen consumes worms, insects, mice and small amphibians.
Reproduction
For mating, galliform males display elaborate courtship behaviors that involve highly elaborate visual acts such as fluffing of head or tail feathers and distinctive sounds. Linked to this, the males of most species in this order are more colorful than the females.
These birds have several forms of mating: monogamous and / or polygamous. Reproduction is conditioned by climate, depending on which, they build nests on the ground or in trees and lay between 3 and 16 eggs a year.
Galliform birds are highly prolific, their positions exceed 10 eggs in many of the species. The chicks are very precocious and walk with their parents almost immediately after they are born.
In some species, the female lays eggs by incubating them in mounds of volcanic ash, hot sand, or rotting vegetation. Once hatched, the young have to dig to get out of the nests from which they emerge fully feathered and with the ability to fly.
References
- Boitard, P. (1851). Natural history museum: description and custom of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insectors, etc. Barcelona.
- Guzmán, FS (1856). Veterinary natural history. Madrid: Calleja, López and Rivadeneiva.
- Hackett, SJ, Kimball, RT, Reddy, S., Bowie, RCK, Braun, EL and Braun, MJm. (2008). A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History. Science, 1763-1768.
- Jardine, SW (1860). The Naturalist's Library: Gallinaceus Birds (Vol. XIV). (SW Jardine, Ed.) London: WH Lizars.
- Wilcox, C. (2013). Why did the chicken cross the road? Maybe it was looking for its penis. Discover.