Is there anybody who is not mesmerized by the colours of the Red Jungle Fowl. My friends who are lovers of different varieties of chicken on their dinner table whether in hotel or house , who enjoys the leg piece right or left should thank the progenitor namely the Red Jungle Fowl, which was domesticated about 5000 years back .

During the breeding season the male announces its presence with his loud call ‘Cock a doodle ..doo” and the call cuts off abruptly at the end. The basic purpose of the call is to attract the potential mates as well as giving a warning to other males in the area to keep away or they have to fight a battle for the mating rights.

I have been observing this specie right from when I got introduced to the wildlife right from the year 2004.I saw it closely in Kanha National Reserve in the same year. It is found in all the parks of North and Central India. In the Deccan India you will observe the Grey Jungle Fowl and not the Red Jungle fowl. After being in the wild for so many years I found Dudhwa National Park to be the best place to shoot them with your camera. Recently at Rajaji National Park I found two males in the river bed who were ready to fight for the mating rights but did not as they thought of fighting with each other at a later time ,being disturbed by the sound of our vehicle. I also lost a rare opportunity to record the fighting sequence. Better luck next time.

Purebred Red Jungle Fowls are facing a serious threat of extinction on account of hybridisation at the edge of the forests where domesticated chickens are in plenty. Is there any solution ? Yes a good buffer zone between the reserve forest and the human habitation zone.

Enjoy the unbelievable colours of this specie.

About the Author

A retired civil servant by profession but a True wildlifer at Heart . Sh Vinod Goel started his journey from the tender age of 11 years, he left his home and parents for schooling in a hostel. Later on as a Civil Servant his job took him to various parts of the country of India. His very first visit to Kanha National Park in Central India in April 2004 ignited the passion for wildlife and has not digressed from that.

During the last 13 years he had been to more than 50 to 60 National parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Initially he visited the wildlife sanctuaries in the States of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. He had been to all the National Parks of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal. Out of 50 tiger reserves in the country he has been to more than 20 tiger reserves and photographed tigers in 12 of them. Apart from tigers he has captured unbelievable moments in the wild.

Sh Vinod Goel is widely known in the wildlife community   and his work has been acclaimed globally. In his free time he can be seen capturing the unusual moments of denizens of the wild in various parks and sanctuaries of India. His daughter Nitya Goel Aggarwal and son Bharat Goel are with him in his mission.

You can also visit his page on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/wildlifephotographyindia/