WETlands
a publication of Sungei Buloh Nature Park
Vol 5 No 3
Nov 98

Colourful Migratory Birds:
Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Common Kingfisher,
Black-capped Kingfisher

BirdWatch '98: how to tell
waders apart

A Year in
the Life of Waders:
migration and breeding

Birds of
Pulau Ubin:
The Red Junglefowl
(Gallus gallus)

Butterfly Appreciation

Friends of
the Park: a tribute to the volunteers

Essence of the Natural Experience:
the year in 1998

Why Wader Census?
Counting shorebirds
at Sungei Buloh		 Burung Di Ubin
(Birds of Ubin Island)

From the beautiful stone island,
Bryan Wee brings you an anecdote of the
striving ancestor of all domestic breeds of poultry

One can find more than a hundred bird species, both resident and migratory, on the island of Pulau Ubin. However, there is none quite as distinctive or unique to Singapore as the Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus). The Red Junglefowl holds the honour of being the ancestor to all domestic breeds of poultry. In light of this fact, it may well be the most numerous species of bird on earth, having found its way to many a dining table all over the world.

In Singapore, wild populations of this bird are found only on Pulau Ubin. Attempts are being made to introduce this bird onto the mainland, but it remains to be seen if the pioneer group can keep their bloodline intact because of their apparent readiness to mate with domestic poultry. The Red Junglefowl can usually be distinguished from the domestic chicken by slate-grey legs (male only) and a prominent white patch at the base of the tail. One subspecies also has a very obvious whitish ear spot. The variation between the races is most noticeable in colour, length and shape of male hackles during the breeding season—now, who says size does not matter?

Apparently, it is not just the physical appearance that sets the Red Junglefowl apart from its domestic counterpart. The former also gives the familiar cock-a-doodle-do call, but only at a slightly higher pitch and ends more abruptly. Shy creatures by nature, they are best seen in the early mornings and late afternoons, scratching for invertebrates at forest edge clearings. Their nests are often hidden in dense undergrowth, and lined with dry grass.

Thank goodness though, that despite its popularity as a food dish and being subjected to relentless hunting in several Asian countries, the Red Junglefowl's present status world-wide is stable.
 
© Sungei Buloh Nature Park