The beautiful Gray Junglefowl has become quite popular in American and European aviculture.

Indigenous to Southern and Western India, the Gray Junglefowl, also known as Sonnerat's Junglefowl, can be found north of Mount Abu to the west, and to the east, they can be found as far as the Godavery River. Their preferred habit range is variable; they seem to enjoy many surroundings, from bamboo forests, to clearings near villages, to the densest Indian jungle. It is a fairly successful bird, adapting to living near populated settlements without having suffered any major population loss. The Gray Junglefowl is a cousin to the Red Junglefowl, which is in the same line as the modern domestic Chicken.

The Gray Junglefowl is a bright, spectacularly colored bird. The comb of these birds is slightly dented, and colored a deep red. Their long neck hackles range from dark gray all the way to a deep black, with yellow and white stripes running the length of the neck. Their tail feathers, as well as the feathers near the back, are the same grayish-black color, with similar white stripes. Immature males, typically those less than a year old, will have substantially shorter feathers, and the coloring won?t be as vibrant. The color of the Grey Junglefowl apparently changes depending on what region they are in; northern examples of this species then to be lighter in color, with fewer bright spots, wile examples from the south are colored very brightly and overall tend to be darker birds. Their beautiful hackle feathers are sought after heavily by fly-tiers (people who make fishing lures) because of their bright, exuberant coloring. The feathers have a lot of interesting features, like horned spangles, that make them especially valuable to anyone making lures. Trout fishers especially enjoy these feathers, since they're so brightly colored and easily attract trout and salmon.

Unfortunately, Grey Jungle Fowls have been put in the schedule 1 and are now protected birds but large scale trapping is continuing which is a matter of great concern, most of the birds trapped refuse to eat and die, these developments are in sharp contrast to what Paul A Johnsgard (1986) observed 'there is no apparent reason for concern about the status of the species which thrives near humans'

Captive bred Gray Junglefowl are described as easy to care for in captivity. They do not necessarily require an aviary, but they will need wind-proof shelter with a dry climate inside to keep them comfortable. When the outdoor temperatures are cold it is important to provide heat a heat source.

Wild caught Grey Jungle Fowl are difficult to care for in captivity for two reasons. The first is that if the cage is not high enough they will often jump and injure their heads. Secondly, they will often stop eating in captivity until they starve to death. Death from self-inflicted starvation is a common problem for wild caught Grey Jungle Fowl. One method of preventing this is force-feeding. One technique that appears to work is to begin by force feeding minced meat, fish meal, ground grains, multi-vitamins - all made into small balls with the help of Austo-calcium with B-12. Begin by feeding the bird(s) twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. Start with 5 balls per bird then move to 10 balls per feeding. Between feedings give a drink of Austo-calcium B-12 and liver tonic. In addition to the force-feeding it is recommended to leave poultry-feed & shorgam, broken wheat and broken maize in a container and a water container. After about a week of force-feeding the bird should begin to eat the feed on its own. Some birds may be afraid of containers and prefer to eat scattered grain.

Wild caught birds younger than one year seem to die more easily than older individuals, and males tend to do better than females.

In the wild the Gray Junglefowl breds between March and July. In captivity, breeding pens need to be close together to increase the chances of breeding. The Gray Junglefowl reaches sexual maturity at approximately two years of age. Males can be bred to more than one hen per year. Eggs will incubate for 21 days and then hatch. The average clutch size is between four and six. Gray Junglefowl are known to become rather noisy during their breeding season.