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Landfowl

Landfowl usually refers to birds that mainly move on the ground, forage and breed on land) A more detailed introduction and classification overview. It should be noted that "landfowl" is not a strict monophyletic group, but an "eco-morphological" collection formed based on ecological and morphological characteristics (such as feeding, running or perching on the ground). Modern bird phylogenetic studies show that these ground-dwelling birds are scattered in multiple different orders and have no single common ancestor. Landfowl is one of the six major ecological groups of birds. Landfowl refers to birds in the Galliformes and Columbidae in the class Aves. There are 52 species of birds in these two orders in Yunnan. These birds mainly live on land, so they are called landfowl. Grouse, pheasants, peacocks, etc. all belong to this category. Most landfowl are resident birds, and a small number are migratory birds.

I. Introduction to Terrestrial Birds

1. Definition and Key Traits

  • Primarily Ground-Dwelling: Most terrestrial birds spend significant time foraging, nesting, or resting on the ground. Some (like ostriches and emus) have entirely lost the ability to fly, while others (e.g., many galliform birds) can fly short distances but generally stay on land.

  • Body and Limb Adaptations: They often have strong leg musculature for running, scratching, or digging in the soil. Certain groups specialize in endurance running (e.g., ostriches), while others rely on short, explosive flights for escape (e.g., pheasants).

  • Ecological Diversity: They inhabit a range of environments—tropical savannas, temperate deserts, montane scrublands, and agricultural grasslands. Their diets can be herbivorous, omnivorous, or carnivorous (e.g., eating seeds, insects, small invertebrates).

  • Close Relationship with Humans: Many terrestrial birds have been domesticated (chicken, turkey, guineafowl) or hunted (pheasants, quail). They hold substantial economic and cultural significance.

2. Diversity and Ecological Roles

  • Terrestrial birds span flightless “ratites” (e.g., ostriches, rheas, emus) to ground-adapted fowl that can still fly short distances (e.g., galliform birds like chickens and pheasants).

  • In wild ecosystems, they act as seed dispersers, vegetation controllers, or key links in the food web. In human societies, they provide meat, eggs, and cultural value (e.g., game birds, ornamental species).

II. Evolutionary History

  1. Origins and Radiation

    • Birds emerged from theropod dinosaurs in the Mesozoic era and diversified extensively by the end of the Cretaceous. Some lineages adopted primarily ground-based lifestyles, developing running, scratching, or ground-nesting traits.

    • During the Paleogene and Neogene, geographic isolation and varied habitats spurred further specialization, such as flightless ratites in the Southern Hemisphere and galliforms in the Northern Hemisphere.

  2. Single or Multiple Losses of Flight

    • Large, flightless birds (e.g., ostriches, emus, cassowaries, rheas) exemplify parallel evolution, having independently reduced or lost their flying abilities.

    • Although scattered in different orders/families, they share similar adaptations for terrestrial living (large bodies, powerful legs).

  3. Co-Evolution with Humans

    • Humans have domesticated chickens, turkeys, guineafowl for centuries and hunted many species of pheasants and quail.

    • Several terrestrial birds have significant economic value in agriculture and ecotourism, but habitat loss and hunting threaten some wild populations.

III. Major “Terrestrial Bird” Groups and Classification Table

Below is a list of notable ground-dwelling bird orders and families according to modern avian taxonomy. As “terrestrial birds” are not a monophyletic clade, these orders differ widely in phylogeny but share a ground-based ecological lifestyle.

(A) Ratites and Allies (Flightless “Running Birds”)

1. Ostriches, Rheas, Emus, Cassowaries, Tinamous

These birds typically have lost the ability to fly, are large-bodied, and mostly found in the Southern Hemisphere and Africa, sometimes collectively called “ratites.”

OrderFamilyRepresentative GenusExample SpeciesDistribution & Notes
Struthioniformes (Ostriches)Struthionidae (Ostrich)Struthio (ostrich)Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus)Largest living bird, native to African savannas/deserts; cannot fly, runs at high speed.
Rheiformes (Rheas)Rheidae (Rheas)Rhea (rhea)Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)Found in South American grasslands; flightless, smaller than ostriches.
Casuariiformes (Emus, Cassowaries)Dromaiidae (Emu), Casuariidae (Cassowary)Dromaius (emu), Casuarius (cassowary)Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)Endemic to Australia/New Guinea; large, flightless, known for speed (emus) or powerful kicks (cassowaries).
Tinamiformes (Tinamous)* or included within PaleognathaeTinamidae (Tinamous)Tinamus, CrypturellusGreat Tinamou (Tinamus major), etc.Central & South America; can fly short distances but mostly ground-based. Considered “primitive” among ground birds.

Note: Some classifications treat Tinamous as a separate order (Tinamiformes), while others group them with ratites under Paleognathae, depending on molecular studies.

(B) Galliformes (“Gamefowl”)

Galliform birds are quintessential “land birds”: usually of medium size, with short, rounded wings for bursts of flight but spending most time on the ground.

FamilyRepresentative GeneraExample SpeciesDistribution & Notes
Phasianidae (Pheasants, Chickens, Partridges, Quail, etc.)Gallus (Junglefowl), Phasianus (True pheasants), Coturnix (Old World quail), etc.Domestic Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix), etc.Very diverse, found across Eurasia, Africa, parts of the Americas. Many species are domesticated or important game birds.
Numididae (Guineafowl)Numida (Helmeted Guineafowl), etc.Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)Native to Africa, known for “pearl-like” spots on feathers, also domesticated in some regions.
Meleagrididae (Turkeys)Meleagris (turkeys)Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)Native to North America. Large ground birds, source of domestic turkey; males exhibit colorful wattles and tail fans.
Tetraonidae (Grouse, Ptarmigan)* sometimes included in PhasianidaeTetrao (Capercaillies), Lagopus (Ptarmigan)Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), etc.Typically in cooler Northern Hemisphere regions or high mountains. Feathers can change seasonally for camouflage.
Odontophoridae (New World Quail)Colinus (Bobwhites), Odontophorus (Wood Quail), etc.Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), etc.Found in the Americas, resembling Old World quail in body form and ground-based habits.

Note: Family boundaries within Galliformes vary; some sources merge grouse into Phasianidae.

(C) Other Common Ground-Dwelling Birds

Beyond the “ratites” and “gamefowl,” several other orders have predominantly ground-based families or genera. A few key examples:

  1. Otidiformes (Bustards)

    • Otididae (Bustards): e.g., Great Bustard (Otis tarda), African bustards; large, flight-capable but strongly ground-oriented birds in Eurasian and African grasslands.

  2. Gruiformes (Cranes, Rails, and Allies)

    • Rallidae (Rails, Coots): e.g., Common Coot, various rails. Primarily live in wetlands or marshy ground.

    • Gruidae (Cranes): Though cranes migrate via flight, they feed and nest on the ground in marshes or grasslands.

  3. Columbiformes (Pigeons, Doves)

    • Many species are strong fliers, but certain doves and ground-doves spend much time pecking seeds on the ground.

  4. Passeriformes (Perching Birds) partial ground-dwellers

    • Families such as Alaudidae (Larks) and some Motacillidae (Wagtails, Pipits) forage extensively on open ground, though they remain capable of sustained flight.

IV. Summary

  1. Multiple Origins and Convergent Adaptations

    • “Terrestrial birds” do not form a single evolutionary lineage; rather, multiple avian orders independently evolved ground-based lifestyles—strong legs, ground nesting, and foraging.

    • From large flightless ratites to ground-frequenting galliforms and bustards, they illustrate repeated occupation of terrestrial niches.

  2. Ecological and Human Importance

    • Many ground birds serve crucial functions in grassland or desert ecosystems, dispersing seeds, controlling insect populations, etc.

    • Humans have domesticated chickens, turkeys, guineafowl, and more. Hunting and wildlife tourism also focus on species like pheasants and bustards.

  3. Conservation Concerns

    • Habitat loss, agriculture expansion, and overhunting threaten many terrestrial bird populations (e.g., ostriches, cassowaries, great bustards).

    • Species with limited ranges or migratory needs require international collaboration and protected areas for survival.

Through the above classification and introduction, your website users can have a preliminary understanding of the diverse distribution and evolution of the ecological-morphological group "land birds" in the modern bird system. If you need to further understand the morphological characteristics, ecological habits and conservation status of each species, it is recommended to refer to professional ornithology, regional field manuals and the latest molecular systematics research.

Waterfowl Wading birds Climbing birds Landfowl Bird of prey Songbird
Aburria pipile

Aburria pipile

Aburria pipile

Landfowl LC

Features：It is mostly black with a purple sheen and no facial feathers

Aburria pipile, also known as the common pheasant, is a type of crested pheasant.Songguan used to be a subspecies that included all songcrested pheasants. However, analysis of mitochondrial DNA, osteology and biogeography confirmed that these subspecies are in fact separate species, and it is sugges...

Aburria jacutinga

Aburria jacutinga

Aburria jacutinga

Landfowl LC

Features：It looks like a Turkey, with a young neck and a thin head

The black-fronted crested pheasant is known as Pipile jacutinga or Aburria jacutinga, which was previously classified as one of two species of crested pheasant. However, mitochondrial DNA, osteological and biogeographical analyses have revealed that the apoplectic crested is a black screw-crested ph...

Pipile cumanensis

Pipile cumanensis

Pipile cumanensis，Blue-throated Piping Guan

Landfowl LC

Features：

The Blue-throated Piping Guan is known as Pipile cumanensis and blue-throated piping guan.Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!...

Pipile cujubi

Pipile cujubi

Pipile cujubi，Red-throated Piping Guan

Landfowl LC

Features：

The pheasant is known as Pipile cujubi and Red-throated Piping Guan.Red List Protection level: Non-threatened species of Least Concern (LC).Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!...

Great Curassow

Great Curassow

Great Curassow，Crax rubra

Landfowl LC

Features：It is the northernmost species of Pheasant

The Great Curassow (Crax rubra) has two subspecies. The Great Crested pheasant is mixed with the blue-billed pheasant and the black pheasant.The Great Crested pheasant lives in tropical and subtropical forest areas. In pairs or small groups, mainly active in trees, occasionally below the ground, diu...

Crax pinima

Crax pinima

Crax pinima，Belem Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：There is black bare skin around the eyes, black body feathers, and white buttocks

Crax pinima, also known as Belem Curassow, was once a subspecies of bare-faced crested pheasant, but was classified as a separate species in 2014. Half the size of the bare-faced crested pheasant, the female is paler, with darker, narrower markings. Specific habits are unknown.Listed on the Internat...

Crax globulosa

Crax globulosa

Crax globulosa，Wattled Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：

It is known as Crax globulosa and Wattled Curassow. Specific habits are unknown.Listed in Appendices I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 edition Appendix III.Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecologi...

Crax fasciolata

Crax fasciolata

Crax fasciolata，Bared-faced Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：

Crax fasciolata and Bared-faced Curassow are unknown.Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!...

Crax daubentoni

Crax daubentoni

Crax daubentoni

Landfowl LC

Features：Males have yellow nodules on the beak

Crax daubentoni feeds primarily on the ground and flies up into trees when threatened. An animal that eats fruits, leaves, seeds, and small particles. They build nests on the ground, both male and female, and the female lays two eggs at a time.Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Na...

Crax blumenbachii

Crax blumenbachii

Crax blumenbachii

Landfowl LC

Features：The male has a bright red-billed shell

The red-billed official bird (Crax blumenbachii), also known as the red-billed pheasant, is a type of crested pheasant endemic to Brazil. As the name suggests, the male's beak is red, but the female's is not. Although they are not very strong in f...

Crax alector

Crax alector

Crax alector，Black Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：The plumage is black, with a distinct patch of white on the underbelly to the rump, and a curly, chic crown on the top of the head

The Black Curassow (Crax alector) spends much of its day on the ground in search of insects, fruit and other plant matter.Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2016 Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1 - Vulnerable (VU).Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Mai...

Craxalberti

Craxalberti

Craxalberti

Landfowl LC

Features：The top and back of the neck have a very gorgeous crest, and the tail is long, and it looks like a peahen

The blue-billed pheasant (Crax alberti) is a species of pheasant endemic to Colombia.Blue-billed crested pheasants like to eat seeds, fruits and fruits of various plants, and occasionally eat insects and small vertebrates such as lizards.The male bird of the blue-billed crested pheasant is the leade...

Pauxi unicornis

Pauxi unicornis

Pauxi unicornis，Horned Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：It has long blue fleshy horns, protruding from the bright red beak

The Horned Curassow (Pauxi unicornis) was once divided into two subspecies, the named subspecies and the Peruvian subspecies. In 2014, the Peruvian subspecies was recognized as a separate species, the Peruvian Helmeted Pheasant. The difference between the two is that the Peruvian Helmeted pheasant i...

Pauxi pauxi

Pauxi pauxi

Pauxi pauxi，Helmeted Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：It got its name from a bizarre blue-gray fig-shaped crown on its forehead

The common crested pheasant (Pauxi pauxi) is known by its foreign name Helmeted Curassow.Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2016 Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1 - Endangered (EN).Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecological balance is ev...

Pauxi koepckeae

Pauxi koepckeae

Pauxi koepckeae，Sira Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：The frontal side of the head has a long, dark gray helmet

Sira Curassow (Pauxi koepckeae) was once a subspecies of the horned helmeted pheasant (Pauxi unicornis) in Peru, and was classified as a separate species in 2014.The chirp is a long phrase repeated every four seconds with three or four notes, with the first note being the loudest. The alarm is an ex...

Mitu tuberosa

Mitu tuberosa

Mitu tuberosa，Razor-billed Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：

Its scientific name is Mitu tuberosa and its foreign name is Razor-billed Curassow.Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!...

Crestless Curassow

Crestless Curassow

Crestless Curassow，Mitu tomentosa

Landfowl LC

Features：

It is known as Mitu tomentosa and Crestless Curassow, but its behavior is unknown.Protection level: Near critical.Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!...

Mitu salvini

Mitu salvini

Mitu salvini，Salvin’s Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：

The pheasant's scientific name is Mitu salvini and its foreign name is Salvin's Curassow.Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!...

Mitu mitu,Alagoas

Mitu mitu,Alagoas

Mitu mitu,Alagoas Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：

The Alagosian Curassow (Mitu mitu) is a relatively large black bird.The Alagoan helmet-billed pheasant was described in the early 17th century, but was not reported until 1951, when it was rediscovered in Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. The last known record of this species in the wild comes from an o...

Nothocrax urumutum

Nothocrax urumutum

Nothocrax urumutum，Nocturnal Curassow

Landfowl LC

Features：

Its scientific name is Nothocrax urumutum and its foreign name is Nocturnal Curassow. Its specific habits are unknown.Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!...

Talegalla jobiensis

Talegalla jobiensis

Talegalla jobiensis，Collared Brush-turkey

Landfowl LC

Features：The body is dark gray, navy blue or black, with an iron-gray beak and pale orange legs and feet

Talegalla jobiensis (Collared Brush-turkey) has two subspecies.Brown collar camp Megacanth alone and in pairs. Omnivorous, eating small invertebrates and a wide variety of foods on the forest floor. Shy and mysterious, but can perch in small trees and fly short distances, not long distances.The brow...

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