Birds That Look Like Chickens (21 Species)

Domestic chickens belong to the order Galliformes - ground-dwelling, heavy-bodied birds with strong legs and short, rounded wings. Dozens of wild species in this order look remarkably chicken-like. Here are 21 of the most common.

The Full List

Bird	Size (length)	Region	Key feature
Wild Turkey	90-112cm	North America	Much larger than a chicken. Fan-shaped tail display.
Ring-necked Pheasant	50-90cm	Introduced worldwide	Males have iridescent copper/green plumage, white neck ring.
Ruffed Grouse	40-48cm	N America forests	Brown/grey camouflage. Drums with wings on logs.
Greater Prairie-Chicken	40-45cm	Central US grasslands	Elaborate booming courtship display with inflated neck sacs.
Northern Bobwhite	20-28cm	Eastern US	Small. Distinctive “bob-WHITE” call. Brown and white markings.
Gambel’s Quail	25-28cm	SW US deserts	Forward-curving topknot plume. Grey with chestnut flanks.
Scaled Quail	25-30cm	SW US, Mexico	Blue-grey “scaled” breast pattern. White-tipped crest.
California Quail	24-27cm	Pacific coast	Black forward-curving plume. Brown and grey. State bird of California.
Plain Chachalaca	50-58cm	S Texas, C America	Olive-brown. Extremely loud calls. Long tail.
Helmeted Guinea Fowl	50-58cm	Africa (domesticated worldwide)	Grey with white polka dots. Bald head with bony casque.
Rock Ptarmigan	33-38cm	Arctic, alpine	White in winter, mottled brown in summer. Feathered feet.
Black Grouse	40-55cm	Europe, Asia	Males glossy black with red eyebrow. Lyre-shaped tail.
Blood Pheasant	38-43cm	Himalayas	Red face and breast streaking. Grey-green body.
Blue-eared Pheasant	80-90cm	China	Dark blue-grey. Red face patch. White ear tufts.
Copper Pheasant	78-84cm	Japan	Coppery chestnut. Very long barred tail.
Green Pheasant	60-90cm	Japan	Iridescent green breast and mantle. Japan’s national bird.
Crested Fireback	70-84cm	SE Asia	Blue-black body, chestnut belly, yellow crest (males).
Crestless Fireback	63-74cm	SE Asia	Dark with metallic green/purple sheen. No crest.
Siamese Fireback	60-80cm	SE Asia	Grey with red facial skin and long curved tail.
Swinhoe’s Pheasant	60-79cm	Taiwan	Dark blue-purple with white back patch and red face.
Edward’s Pheasant	58-65cm	Vietnam	Dark blue-black. Critically endangered.

Grouse and Ptarmigan

Grouse are the wild chickens of northern forests and tundra. Ruffed Grouse in particular look and behave like wild chickens - they are round, ground-dwelling, and forage by scratching through leaf litter.

Rock Ptarmigan go a step further, turning completely white in winter for camouflage against snow. Their feathered feet act as snowshoes - an adaptation no chicken has.

Quail

Quail are essentially miniature chickens. They are the same basic shape - round body, short wings, strong legs - but scaled down to 20-30cm. Northern Bobwhites, Gambel’s Quail, and California Quail are the most common North American species, each found in different habitats.

The Wild Turkey is the ancestor of all domestic turkeys. Benjamin Franklin famously argued it should be the US national bird instead of the Bald Eagle, calling the eagle “a bird of bad moral character.”

Pheasants

Pheasants are the most visually spectacular chicken relatives. Males often have extraordinary plumage - iridescent greens, coppers, blues, and reds - while females are brown and camouflaged. The Ring-necked Pheasant, introduced from Asia, is now one of the most widely distributed game birds in the world.

Guinea Fowl

Helmeted Guinea Fowl look like chickens wearing polka-dot suits. Originally from Africa, they are now kept worldwide as pest control birds - they eat enormous quantities of ticks and insects. Their loud alarm calls also make them effective “watchdogs” on farms.