Phasianidae (idea)

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Aves OR: Class Archosauromorpha
Subclass Neornithes OR: Subclass Dinosauria, Infraclass Aves
Order Galliiformes
Family Phasianidae

The family of pheasants, partridges, grouse, Old World quail, turkeys, and chickens, containing about 200 species in about 60 genera.

Phasianidae are, for the most part, ground-dwelling birds that eat seeds, worms, and insects by scratching for them on the ground. Many are flightless or nearly so. The family contains several commercially important species: Some for hunting, plus the domesticated turkey and chicken. This last creature has spread all over the world, and is probably the largest single source of meat for humanity.

Some former members of Phasianidae have been moved to their own families: New World quail can be found in Ondontophoridae; guinea fowl can be found in family Numididae.

Subfamily Afropavoninae:

• Tribe Afropavonini
  • Afropavo
    • A. congensis (Congo Peafowl)

Subfamily Argusinae

• Tribe Argusini
  • Argusianus
    • A. argus (Great Argus)
  • Polyplectron (peacock-pheasant) (6)
  • Rheinartia (crested argus, blue ran) (2)

Subfamily Meleagrinae (turkeys):

• Agriocharis
  • A. ocellata (Ocellated turkey)
• Meleagris
  • M. Gallopavo (Wild Turkey and domestic turkey)

Subfamily Pavoninae:

• Tribe Pavonini
  • Pavo (peafowl) (2)

Subfamily Perdicinae (quail and partridges):

• Tribe Coturnici
  • Anurophasis
    • A. Monorthonyx (Snow Mountain Quail)
  • Coturnix (Quail) (8)
• Tribe Perdicini
  • Alectoris (chukar) (7)
  • Aborophila (hill partridge, tree-partridge, mountain zhegu) (18) (subsumes Tropicoperdix)
  • Ammoperdix (2)
  • Bambusicola (bamboo partridge) (2)
  • Caloperdix
    • C. oculea (Ferruginous Wood Partridge)
  • Francolinus (Francolin) (42) (subsumes Peliperdix, Pternistis, Scleroptila)
  • Galloperdix (Superfowl) (3)
  • Haematortryx
    • H. sangiuniceps (Crimson-headed wood partridge)
  • Lerwa
    • L. Lerwa (Snow Partridge)
  • Margaroperdix
    • M. madagarensis (Madagascar Partridge)
  • Melanoperdix
    • M. nigra (Black Wood Partridge)
  • Ophrysia
    • O. superciliosa (Himalayan Mountain Quail)
  • Perdicula (Bush-quail) (4) (subsumes Cryptoplectron)
  • Perdix (partridge, Mountain quail) (3)
  • Ptilopachus
    • P. petrosus (Stone Partridge)
  • Rollulus
    • R. roulroul (Crested Wood Partridge)
  • Rhizothera
    • R. longirostris (Long-billed Wood Partridge)
  • Tetraogallus (Snowcock) (7)
  • Tetraophasis (Sichuan partridge) (2)

Subfamily Phasianinae:

• Tribe Gallini
  • Gallus (Junglefowl, domestic chicken) (4)
• Tribe Phasianini
  • Catreus
    • C, wallichii (Cheer Pheasant)
  • Chrysolophus (golden pheasant, brocade fowl, copper fowl) (2)
  • Crossoptilon (eared-pheasant, horsefowl) (3)
  • Ithaginis
    • I. cruentis (Blood Pheasant)
  • Lobiophasis
  • Lophura (pheasant, fireback, xian²)(10) (subsumes Diardigallus, Gennaeus, Houppifer, Hierophasis)
  • Lophophorus (Monal Pheasant) (3)
  • Pucrasia
    • P. macrolopha (Koklas or Spoonfowl)
  • Phasianus (common pheasant) (2)
  • Syrmaticus (long-tailed pheasant) (5)

Subfamily Tetraoninae (grouse):

• Tribe Bonasini
  • Bonasa (Ruffed Grouse, Hazel Fowl)
• Tribe Tetrastini
  • Tetrastes
• Tribe Tetraonini
  • Subtribe Canachitina
    • Canachites
  • Subtribe Centrocercina
    • Centrocercus (sage-grouse)
    • Dendragapus (blue grouse)
    • Tympanuchus (American grouses, heath hen, Prairie Chicken)
  • Subtribe Falcipennina
    • Falcipennis (spruce Grouse) (2)
  • Subtribe Lagopodina
  • Lagopus (ptarmigan)
• Subtribe Tetraonina
  • Lyrurus
  • Tetrao (pine fowl)

Subfamily Tragopaninae:

• Tribe Tragopanini
  • Tragopan (Tragopan or Horned Pheasant)

Illinois State Academy of Science, Springfield, IL. World Wide Web
http://www.il-st-acad-sci.org/kingdom/bird002.html, 2002.

NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life web application. 2002. Version 1.6 . Arlington, Virginia, USA: NatureServe.
Available: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: February 23, 2003).

Bird Names in Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese: Phasianidae
http://www.cjvlang.info/Birds/pheasant/pheasant.html

Zoonomen Nomenclatural data (2002) Alan P. Peterson
http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/gall.html

Gutiérrez, R.J., Barrowclough, G.F. & Groth, J.G. 2000: A classification of the grouse (Aves: Tetraoninae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. - Wildl. Biol. 6: 205-211.
abstract found at http://www.wildlifebiology.com/2000/gutierrez.html