Phasianidae is afamily of heavy, ground-livingbirds, which includespheasants,grouse,partridges,junglefowl,chickens,turkeys,Old World quail, andpeafowl. The family includes many of the most populargamebirds.[1] The family includes 185 species divided into 54 genera. It was formerly broken up into twosubfamilies, thePhasianinae and thePerdicinae. However, this treatment is now known to beparaphyletic andpolyphyletic, respectively, and more recent evidence supports breaking it up into two subfamilies:Rollulinae andPhasianinae, with the latter containing multipletribes within twoclades. TheNew World quail (Odontophoridae) andguineafowl (Numididae) were formerly sometimes included in this family, but are now typically placed in families of their own; conversely,grouse andturkeys, formerly often treated as distinct families (Tetraonidae and Meleagrididae, respectively), are now known to be deeply nested within Phasianidae, so they are now included in the present family.
Phasianids are terrestrial. They range in weight from 43 g (1.5 oz) in the case of theking quail to 6 kg (13 lb) in the case of theIndian peafowl. If turkeys are included, rather than classified as a separate family, then the considerably heavierwild turkey capably reaches a maximum weight of more than 17 kg (37 lb). Length in this taxonomic family can vary from 12.5 cm (4.9 in) in the king quail up to 300 cm (120 in) (including the elongated train) ingreen peafowl, thus they beat even thetrue parrots in length diversity within a family of birds.[1][2] Generally,sexual dimorphism is greater in larger-sized birds, with males tending to be larger than females. They are generally plump, with broad, relatively shortwings and powerful legs. Many have aspur on eachleg, most prominently withjunglefowl (includingchickens),pheasants,turkeys, andpeafowl. Some, likequails,partridges, andgrouse, have reduced spurs to none at all. A few have two spurs on each of their legs instead of one, includingpeacock-pheasants andspurfowl. The bill is short and compact, particularly in species that dig deep in the earth for food such as theMearns quail. Males of the bigger galliformspecies often boast brightly-colouredplumage, as well as facial ornaments such as combs,wattles, and/orcrests.[citation needed]
Overall,Rollulinae is restricted to the tropics ofEast and Southeast Asia and the mountains ofTanzania, Phasianinae have a circumpolar range in the temperate zones of bothEurasia andNorth America (but also range into the tropics of east and southeast Asia), andPavoninae have a wide range across Africa, Eurasia, andAustralasia in both temperate and tropical zones.
The family is generallysedentary and resident, although some members of the group undertake longmigrations, likeptarmigans andOld World quail. Several species in the family have been widelyintroduced around the world, particularly pheasants, which have been introduced to Europe, Australia, and the Americas, specifically for hunting purposes. Captive populations of peafowl, domestic chickens, and turkeys have also escaped or been released and becameferal.
The phasianids have a varied diet, with foods taken ranging from purely vegetarian diets of seeds, leaves, fruits, tubers, and roots, to small animals including insects, insect grubs, and even small reptiles. Most species either specialise in feeding on plant matter or are predatory, although the chicks of most species are insectivorous.
In addition to the variation in diet, a considerable amount of variation exists in breeding strategies among the Phasianidae. Compared to birds in general, a large number of species do not engage inmonogamy (the typical breeding system of most birds). The francolins of Africa and some partridges are reportedly monogamous, but polygamy has been reported in the pheasants and junglefowl, some quail, and the breeding displays of peacocks have been compared to those of alek. Nesting usually occurs on the ground; only thetragopans nest higher up in trees or stumps of bushes. Nests can vary from mounds of vegetation to slightscrapes in the ground. As many as 20 eggs can be laid in the nest, although 7–12 are the more usual numbers, with smaller numbers in tropical species.Incubation times can range from 14–30 days depending on the species, and is almost always done solely by the hen, although a few involve the male partaking in caring for the eggs and chicks, like thewillow ptarmigan andbobwhite quail.
Thered junglefowl of Southeast Asia is the wild ancestor of the domesticatedchicken, the most important bird in agriculture, and thewild turkey similarly is the ancestor of thedomestic turkey. Several species of pheasants and partridges are extremely important to humans.Ring-necked pheasants, several partridge and quail species, and some francolins have been widely introduced and managed as game birds for hunting. Several species arethreatened by human activities.
Theclade Phasianidae is the largest of the branchGalliformes, comprising 185 species divided into 54 genera.[3] This group includes the pheasants and partridges, junglefowl chickens, quail, and peafowl. Turkeys and grouse have also been recognized as having their origins in the pheasant- and partridge-like birds.
^Johnsgard, P. A. (1986).The Pheasants of the World. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
^Johnsgard, P. A. (1988).The Quails, Partridges, and Francolins of the World. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
^abcKimball, R. T.; Braun, E. L.; Zwartjes, P. W.; Crowe, T. M.; Ligon, J. D. (1999). "A molecular phylogeny of the pheasants and partridges suggests that these lineages are not monophyletic".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.11 (1):38–54.Bibcode:1999MolPE..11...38K.doi:10.1006/mpev.1998.0562.PMID10082609.
^Mayr, G.; Poshmann, M.; Wuttke, M. (2006). "A nearly complete skeleton of the fossil galliform bird Palaeortyx from the late Oligocene of Germany".Acta Ornithologica.41 (2):129–135.doi:10.3161/068.041.0209.S2CID73586654.
