Galliformes - Common Species

Common Species

Grouse and Ptarmigans Family Tetraonidae

Grouse, ptarmigans, and prairie chickens are all chicken-like birds with short, curved, strong bills part of the family Tetraonidae. This group includes 25 species residing mostly in North America. They are mainly ground-dwellers and have short, rounded wings for brief flights. They are well adapted to winter by growing feather “snowshoes” on their feet and roosting beneath the snow. They range in size from the 13-inch White-tailed Ptarmigan to the 28-inch Sage Grouse. Their plumage is dense and soft and is most commonly found in shades of red, brown, and gray in order to camouflage to the ground. They are polygamous and male courtship behavior includes strutting and dancing and aggressive fighting for possession of females. The typical clutch size is between 7 and 12 eggs.

Turkeys Family Meleagrididae

Turkeys are large, long-legged birds that can grow up to four feet in height and weigh up to 30 lbs in the wild. They have a long broad, rounded tail with 14-19 blunt feathers. They have a naked wrinkled head and feathered body. The North American wild turkey - Meleagris gallopavo - has 5 distinct subspecies (Eastern, Rio Grande, Florida a.k.a. Osceola, Merriams, and Goulds). Hybrids also exist where the range of these subspecies overlaps. All are native only to North America, though transplanted populations exist elsewhere. Their plumage differs slightly by subspecies, but is generally dark to black for males, with buff to cream highlights, and generally drab brown for females. The feathers are quite iridescent and can take on distinct reddish/copper hues in sunlight. Their feathers are well defined with broad, square ends, giving the bird the appearance of being covered in scales. Males have a “beard” of coarse black bristles hanging from the center of their upper breast and tend to have more vibrantly colored plumage than do females. They breed in the Spring and their typical clutch size is between 10 and 12 eggs. The ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata) is a different species of turkey, and currently exists only in a portion of the Yucutan peninsula. After the 19th and early 20th century wild turkey populations dropped significantly because of hunting and habitat loss. However, populations now flourish again thanks to hunting management and transplanting. The ocellated turkey, not commonly hunted, is currently threatened due to ongoing habitat loss in the Yucutan.

Pheasants, Quail, and Partridges Family Phasianidae

The family is divided into four groups: 30 species of new world quail, residing between Paraguay and Canada, 11 species of old world quails in Africa, Australia, and Asia, 94 species of partridges, and 48 species of pheasants. This family includes a wide range of bird sizes from a 5 ½-inch quail to pheasants up to almost 30 inches. Pheasants and quails have heavy, round bodies and rounded wings. Even though they have short legs, they are very fast runners when escaping predators.

Chachalacas Family Cracidae

Chachalacas are found in the chaparral ecosystems from southern Texas through Mexico and Costa Rica. They are mainly arboreal and make their nests in trees five to fifteen feet above the ground. They are large, long-legged, birds that can grow up to 26 inches long. They have long tails and are chicken-like in appearance. Their frail looking yet sturdy nests are made out of sticks and leaves. Their clutch size is 3 or 4 eggs. The males make a unique, loud, mating call that give them their name: “cha-cha-la-ca”. Chachalacas feed mainly on berries but also eat insects. They are a popular game bird as their flesh is good to eat. They are also commonly domesticated as pets.