King chickens
| King chickens | ||||||||||
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| Tetraogallus | ||||||||||
| JE Gray , 1832 |
The king fowl ( Tetraogallus ) are a genus within the pheasant-like family. A total of five species are assigned to this genus. Four of the five species occur exclusively in the mountains of Central and South Asia, while the Caucasian king's hen, on the other hand, is found in the Greater Caucasus and thus in the border area between Europe and Asia.
features
All five species are relatively large, grouse- like birds with long necks and elongated bodies in relation to their physique. Two types, the Tibetan king chicken and the Altai king chicken, have white bellies. The Caucasian king chicken , the kaspi king chicken and the Himalayan king chicken, on the other hand, have dark bellies. The largest species among the king fowl is the Himalayan king fowl, which can reach a body length of up to 62 centimeters.
The sexual dimorphism is only slightly pronounced. Females usually have a slightly less contrasting and dull plumage and are slightly smaller than the males. However, there is one noticeable difference in how to get around that helps differentiate the sexes. Frightened females push their tail plumage down while walking while males hold their tail plumage horizontally or even slightly lift it. Males defending their territory even spread their tail plumage upwards so that the whitish under tail coverts are clearly visible. Young king chickens do not reach their full body size until they are two years old.
The plumage of the royal fowl is very thick and dense, which enables them to survive the cold winters in their habitat, where temperatures can drop to -40 ° C. Due to their size and wing construction, they are unable to fly up from a flat surface.
species
The following five species are included in the genus of king fowl:
- Caucasian king chicken ( T. caucasicus )
- Kaspi king chicken ( T. caspius )
- Himalayan king chicken ( T. himalayensis )
- Tibetan King Chicken ( T. tibetanus )
- Altai king chicken ( T. altaicus )
supporting documents
literature
- Steve Madge , Phil McGowan, and Guy M. Kirwan : Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse. A Guide to the Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, Grouse, Guineafowl, Buttonquails and Sandgrouse of the world. Christopher Helm, London 2002, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0 .
- RL Potapov, VE Fling (HRSG): Handbook of the birds of the Soviet Union. Volume 4: Galliformes, Gruiformes. Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden 1989, ISBN 3-89104-417-8
