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   » » Wiki: Phasianidae
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Phasianidae is a family of heavy, ground-living , which includes , , , , , , Old World quail, and . The family includes many of the most popular gamebirds.

(1994). 9788487334153, Lynx Edicions.
The family includes 185 species divided into 54 genera. It was formerly broken up into two subfamilies, the and the . However, this treatment is now known to be and , respectively, and more recent evidence supports breaking it up into two subfamilies: and , with the latter containing multiple tribes within two . The New World quail (Odontophoridae) and (Numididae) were formerly sometimes included in this family, but are now typically placed in families of their own; conversely, and turkeys, formerly often treated as distinct families (Tetraonidae and Meleagrididae, respectively), are now known to be deeply nested within Phasianidae, so they are now included in the present family.


Description
Phasianids are terrestrial. They range in weight from in the case of the to in the case of the . If turkeys are included, rather than classified as a separate family, then the considerably heavier capably reaches a maximum weight of more than . Length in this taxonomic family can vary from in the king quail up to (including the elongated train) in , thus they beat even the in length diversity within a family of birds. Harper, D. 1986. Pet Birds for Home and Garden. London: Salamander Books Ltd. Generally, sexual dimorphism is greater in larger-sized birds, with males tending to be larger than females. They are generally plump, with broad, relatively short and powerful legs. Many have a spur on each , most prominently with (including ), , turkeys, and . Some, like , , and , have reduced spurs to none at all. A few have two spurs on each of their legs instead of one, including and . The bill is short and compact, particularly in species that dig deep in the earth for food such as the . Males of the bigger galliform often boast brightly-coloured , as well as facial ornaments such as combs, wattles, and/or crests.


Distribution and habitat
The Phasianidae are mostly an family, with a distribution that includes most of and (except the far north), all of except the driest , and south into much of eastern and (formerly) . The (turkeys) are native to the , while the (grouse) are circumpolar; both of these are members of . The greatest diversity of species is in and Africa. The is specific to the African .

Overall, is restricted to the tropics of and Southeast Asia and the mountains of , Phasianinae have a circumpolar range in the temperate zones of both and (but also range into the tropics of east and southeast Asia), and have a wide range across Africa, Eurasia, and in both temperate and tropical zones.

The family is generally and resident, although some members of the group undertake long , like and Old World quail. Several species in the family have been widely introduced around the world, particularly pheasants, which have been introduced to Europe, Australia, and the Americas, specifically for hunting purposes. Captive populations of peafowl, domestic chickens, and turkeys have also escaped or been released and became .


Behaviour and ecology
The phasianids have a varied diet, with foods taken ranging from purely vegetarian diets of seeds, leaves, fruits, tubers, and roots, to small animals including insects, insect grubs, and even small reptiles. Most species either specialise in feeding on plant matter or are predatory, although the chicks of most species are insectivorous.

In addition to the variation in diet, a considerable amount of variation exists in breeding strategies among the Phasianidae. Compared to birds in general, a large number of species do not engage in monogamy (the typical breeding system of most birds). The francolins of Africa and some partridges are reportedly monogamous, but polygamy has been reported in the pheasants and junglefowl, some quail, and the breeding displays of peacocks have been compared to those of a lek. Nesting usually occurs on the ground; only the nest higher up in trees or stumps of bushes. Nests can vary from mounds of vegetation to slight scrapes in the ground. As many as 20 eggs can be laid in the nest, although 7–12 are the more usual numbers, with smaller numbers in tropical species. times can range from 14–30 days depending on the species, and is almost always done solely by the hen, although a few involve the male partaking in caring for the eggs and chicks, like the and bobwhite quail.


Relationship with humans
The of Southeast Asia is the wild ancestor of the domesticated , the most important bird in agriculture, and the similarly is the ancestor of the . Several species of pheasants and partridges are extremely important to humans. Ring-necked pheasants, several partridge and quail species, and some francolins have been widely introduced and managed as game birds for hunting. Several species are by human activities.


Systematics and evolution
The Phasianidae is the largest of the branch , comprising 185 species divided into 54 genera. This group includes the pheasants and partridges, junglefowl chickens, quail, and peafowl. Turkeys and grouse have also been recognized as having their origins in the pheasant- and partridge-like birds.

Until the early 1990s, this family was broken up into two subfamilies: the , including , , , and ;

and the , including , Old World quails, and .

Molecular phylogenies have shown that these two subfamilies are not each , but actually constitute only one lineage with one common ancestor.

For example, some (genus ) are more closely affiliated to , whereas Old World quails and from the genus are closer to .

The earliest fossil records of phasianids date to the late Oligocene epoch, about 30 million years ago.

  
     


Recent genera
Taxonomy and ordering is based on Kimball et al., 2021, which was accepted by the International Ornithological Congress. Tribes and subfamily names are based on the 4th edition of the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Genera without a tribe are considered to belong to tribe incertae sedis.


Past taxonomy
This is the former ordering of Phasianidae, which primarily grouped genera based on appearance and body plans.


Fossil genera
Extinct genus assignment follows the Mikko's Phylogeny Archive and Paleofile.com websites.


Phylogeny
Cladogram based on a 2021 study by De Chen and collaborators that sequenced DNA flanking ultra-conserved elements. The extinct (genus ) was not included in the study. The species numbers and the inclusion of the genera , , and follows the list maintained by Frank Gill, and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithologists' Union.


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