Other Names
Silkies
Size
Stand about 500mm high.
Voice
Loud harsh cackling chatter.
Food
Seed, fruit and greens. They scratch in ground like domestic chickens.
Habits
Spends days on ground foraging for food and roosts in low shrubs or branches at night.
Gregarious and form flocks of about 25 birds which roost communally.
They run rather than fly as barbs on their wings prevent them from taking flight.
Nesting
Lays 10-20 eggs in well hidden lined scrape. Female incubates eggs for 21-23 days.
Distribution
Originated in China, however now found throughout the world. Prefers dry open habitat with scattered trees and shrubs.