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The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), the ancestor of the domestic
poultry, has been reported from Khandala and areas around Bombay. The
grey junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii) has been recorded from forests
throughout the State.
The Peacock (Pavo cristatus) is the ‘National Bird’ of India. It is
polygamous and two to five females often accompany a male. They were
once quite common throughout the forests of the State but their numbers
have now been considerably reduced, and they have disappeared from
many forest areas.
(8) Order Gruiformes.—The Order Gruiformes includes a
heterogeneous group of terrestrial and water birds.
Family Turnicidae.—Button—and Bustard—Quail: These birds are
found in temperate as well as tropical regions of the whole world and are
similar in habit and coloration to the true quails but lack the hind toe. The
richly coloured female is polyandrous and is aggressive during courtship.
When a clutch is completed the male incubates the eggs and rears the
young while the female proceeds to pair with another male.
Three species occur in Maharashtra. The little bustard quail (Turnix
sylvatica) occupies grassland and plains and can be differentiated from the
common bustard-quail (Turnix suscitator) by the absence of a black breast
band. The button quail (Turnix tanki) is found in grassland and scrub areas
and is the largest member of this family.
Family Gruidae—Cranes: These are among the largest birds in India
and inhabit marshes and plains, being particularly fond of rice fields. Of
the six species found in India three are recorded from Maharashtra and
two of these are winter visitors. The common crane (Grus grus) and the
Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) are winter visitors and the Sarus
crane (Grus antigone) is a straggler in Maharashtra, but breeds commonly
in Gujarat.
Cranes are gregarious birds and after the breeding season migrate vast
distances.
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