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Open my wish list →Chickens come from wild birds called junglefowl. Here are three true things about chickens as a group.
Grown-up hens and roosters both have a fleshy crest on the head, called a comb, and flaps of skin under the beak, called wattles. Both are bigger in males.
SourceIn a flock, some chickens are in charge of others. This sets up a pecking order.
SourceMother hen
When a hen has laid a clutch of eggs, she may sit on them until they hatch. This is called going broody. She fluffs up or pecks if she is disturbed, and she rarely leaves the nest until the eggs have hatched, after about 21 days. Then she stays on the nest for about two more days. After that she guards her chicks and keeps them warm. She leads them to food and water, and she clucks loudly to call them. The chicks follow her, and she cares for them until they are several weeks old.
SourceTwo warnings
A rooster does not have just one alarm call. Scientists found that male chickens give different alarm calls for predators on the ground and predators in the air. In a laboratory, a computer animation of a soaring bird of prey set off the aerial alarm call, and a short video of a raccoon set off the ground alarm call. Then the scientists played the calls back to hens. After an aerial alarm call, the hens were more likely to run towards cover. After a ground alarm call, the hens stood up tall and watchful.
SourceGallus gallus
This wild bird was the main species to give rise to today's many breeds of chicken. The male's tail has 14 shiny feathers that shimmer blue, purple and green in direct light, and at sunset it flies up to roost in trees.
SourceGallus sonneratii
It lives mainly in peninsular India. The male has a black cape with ochre spots, and his long neck feathers end in a small, hard, yellowish plate. A gene from this bird gives some chickens their yellow legs.
SourceGallus lafayettii
This junglefowl is common in Sri Lanka, where it is the national bird. The male has orange-red body feathers, dark purple to black wings and tail, and a red comb with a yellow centre.
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