Sri Lankan (Ceylon) Junglefowl

A Sri Lankan Junglefowl (also known as Ceylon Junglefowl) spotted in Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka.

Looking a lot like a common cockerel, it is actually the national bird of Sri Lanka where it is endemic.

It is closely related to the Red Junglefowl, the wild Junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated. However, a whole-genome molecular study rather show that Sri Lankan Junglefowl and Grey Junglefowl are genetically sister species than with the Red Junglefowl. Sri Lankan Junglefowl and Red Junglefowl diverged about 2.8 million years ago whereas, time of divergence between the Sri Lankan Junglefowl and Grey Junglefowl was 1.8 million years ago.