Fowl

Fowl

Classification of the animal

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Clade	Carinatae
Subclass	Neornithes
Infraclass	Neognathae
Superorder	Galloanserae

Habitat

It is native to almost every part of the world as it includes birds. Fowls are of two types Land fowls and water fowls. Water fowls partially live on land and partially in water, whereas land fowls are only restricted to land. Land fowls are both jungle fowls and some live in human societies as well these are mostly pets to humans.

Biological Importance

·         Serve as biological way of controlling pests like beetles, corn borers and caterpillars that damage crops.

·         Their eggs are nutritious diet and provide meet for humans too.

·         Are carriers for viruses like birds flu and other infectious diseases.

Ecological Value:

·         Galloanserae regularly produce clutches of more than 5 or 10 eggs which is a lot for such sizeable birds.

·         Hybridization is extremely frequent in Galloanserae, and genera that usually don’t produce viable hybrids in birds can be brought to interbreed with comparative ease. Guinea fowl have successfully produced hybrids with domestic fowl and Blue Peafowl to which they are not particularly closely related.

·         Galloanserae young are remarkably precocious. These young are able to swim and dive a few hours after hatching and the hatchlings of mound builders are fully feathered and even able to fly for prolonged distances as soon as they emerge from the nest mound.