Galliformes make up more than 250 species worldwide. They are often known as windfowl or just fowl. Galliformes include turkeys, chickens, and pheasants. Galliformes also vary in coloration, from dark to brightly colorful. These birds vary in size from the small Asian blue quill to the largest galliform, the North America Wild Turkey (which can weigh as much as 14 kilograms).

Galliformes birds are “chicken like” in appearance and have small bodies and blunt wings. Some have elaborate head and neck ornamentation such as feathers. They weigh roughly from 275g to 9.4kg. The lengths of the tails for these birds vary from species. Some galliformes barely have a tail, while others have long colorful tails (up to 1 meter) with elaborate patterns.

Galliformes live in many places such as forests, deserts, scrub forests, and alpine meadows. Some galliformes are adapted to grassland habitats. These birds are easily recognized by their long, thin necks, long legs and large, wide wings. Galliformes that live in deserts usually consists of quails. One kind of bird that lives in deserts is the Gambel’s Quail.