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Which living galliform family is considered the most primitive?

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A peacock stands with its vibrant green and blue tail feathers fully fanned out in display, showing eye-like patterns across the plumage. — Galliform Blue, or Indian, peacock (*Pavo cristatus*) displaying its resplendent feathers.

Within the order Galliformes, the family Megapodiidae is considered the most primitive of the living families.1

These birds, commonly known as megapodes, are specialized mound builders native to Australasia. Unlike most other birds, they do not incubate their eggs using body heat; instead, they bury them in mounds of fermenting plant matter, volcanic soil, or sand, relying on external heat sources to hatch their young.213