Almost every civilized country in the world uses a variety of logo symbols, flags, and songs to express their national identity. Of these, the national flag has a special place. In addition, the national anthem, the state emblem, takes precedence and the national animal, bird, plant, flower, as well as sports, are unique. The national bird also has a special place in the countries of the world. This place takes Jungle fowl in our country. It is one of the most beautiful birds. The jungle fowl is endemic to Sri Lanka. The jungle fowl belongs to the genus Galli Formes (Phasianidae). Its zoological name is Gallus Lafayette.
Although bird extension records show that this beautiful bird can be found in all parts of Sri Lanka, the situation has changed today. Wild roosters are rarely seen in rural areas and are very difficult to see in protected forests. The male Sri Lankan junglefowl ranges from 66–72 cm (26–28 in) in length[5] and 790–1,140 g (1.74–2.51 lb) in weight, essentially resembling a large, muscular rooster. The male has orange-red body plumage and dark purple to black wings and tail. The feathers of the mane descending from head to base of the spine are golden, and the face has bare red skin and wattles. The comb is red with a yellow center. The wild hen is not beautiful. She is black or brown. It is also small in size.
The wild hen lays her eggs in a nesting place under a bush or tree. Although they usually lay eggs throughout the year, they are more likely to be laid in March and June. Two to four eggs are laid at a time and they are yellow in color. It also has a reddish-brown color. They find food by crawling on the ground. As well as small insects, worms and larvae, jungle fowls also eat tree nuts, grains, and fruits. The sound of the jungle fowl is a musical sound. He walks along the branch where he is standing and cries several times. This is part of his daily routine. It is also the first element. Unlike other birds, jungle fowls cannot fly a long way. Unity and mutual support are the lifeblood of the jungle fowls. One of the noble qualities of the jungle fowl is that it signals to others when it sees a human or an enemy and protects its species. The jungle fowl is a militant bird. Going to war with the enemy shows that they have amazing courage. This bird’s rage will subside when the enemy is defeated and bleed.
This militancy is one of the reasons why the jungle fowl was chosen as the national bird of the country. The other things that contributed to this were being a beautiful animal with some beautiful colors and feathers, being a native bird endemic to this country, being a brave militant, and an angel who foretells the dawn. Former President Ranasinghe Premadasa appointed a six-member committee to select this beautiful bird as the National Bird of Sri Lanka on February 26, 1986, with the approval of Parliament and the Cabinet. The Fauna and Flora Protection Act of 1937 was amended in 1970 to prohibit the killing, injuring, and trapping of birds in Sri Lanka.
