jungle fowl

American  

[juhng-guhl foul] / ˈdʒʌŋ gəl ˌfaʊl /

Or junglefowl

noun

1. any of several gallinaceous birds of the genus Gallus, found in India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia: G. gallus red jungle fowl is believed to be the primary ancestor of the domestic chicken.

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jungle fowl British  

noun

1. any small gallinaceous bird of the genus Gallus, of S and SE Asia, the males of which have an arched tail and a combed and wattled head: family Phasianidae (pheasants). G. gallus ( red jungle fowl ) is thought to be the ancestor of the domestic fowl

2. any of several megapodes, esp Megapodius freycinet

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Etymology

Origin of jungle fowl

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Dridi and other researchers wanted to see how much genetic differences there were between jungle fowl and modern breeds.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2024

Farmers buried many skeletons of young members of the genus Gallus as grave goods along with other domesticated animals—strong evidence that these birds were domesticated chickens, rather than wild jungle fowl.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 5, 2022

According to a 2015 study, they appear to be descendants of the ancestral red jungle fowl the Polynesians brought to the island over 800 years ago that then mated with escaped chickens.

From Washington Post • May 17, 2022

Chickens trace their ancestry back thousands of years to the red jungle fowl of Southeast Asia—and perhaps some other birds that got into the mix.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 15, 2016

The scurry of gray jungle fowl running for cover.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy