
Alerted by the crack of a twig or the shuffling of leaves underfoot, 
they walk away from the sound, seldom "Freezing" as grouse may in the 
hope of remaining undetected. Frightened, they either take to wing 
or run with surprising rapidity often keeping to the more open cover 
for they are not by nature good skulkers. 
Resting and Roosting 
Junglefowl normally roost from 20 to 50 feet up in hardwoods. 
They may form a close group along a limb or be scattered over different 
parts of the same or adjacent trees at night. The same roosting site 
may be utilized for long periods of time unless the birds are disturbed. 
Resting is likely to be on the ground either in or close to fairly thick 
clumps of undergrowth from which there are easy avenues of escape if 
needed. 
Nesting and Renesting 
Nests may be well hidden in a brushy clump, often in overgrown 
openings in the forest, in edge cover, or in open sites at the base 
of a tree or log, usually in second-growth woodlands. A slight hollow, 
lined rather haphazardly with grass and leaves, suffices. Renesting 
is the rule when the eggs have been destroyed before hatching. Usually 
only one brood a year is produced. 
Nesting dates vary with region and elevation from March to 
September though, in India, eggs have been found from January to October. 
Along the base of the Himalayan foothills north of Delhi April through 
May are the preferred months, with most of the nests hatching between 
May 15 and June 15. 
Eggs 
The normal clutch for the first nest is 5 to 7 with renests 
usually 3 to 4. In shape, they resemble bantam eggs; in color, they 
are usually spotless and just off-white. Stuart Baker (3) found the 
measurement of 150 eggs to 45.3 X 34.4 mm. 
No exact record of the incubation period has been reported. 
Delacour (6) indicates 19 to 21 days as the period for Cochin-Chinese 
red junglefowl. 
Brooding and Rearing 
Mother and young desert the nest soon after the last chick 
is dry and usually are not in company with the male, though occasionally 
one encounters male, female, and chicks feeding together. 
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