TheropodaAves

Gallus gallus

Broiler chicken

Gallus gallus skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, reconstructed length ~0.35 m.
Scale bar = 5 centimeters
Taxon
Gallus gallus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Reconstructed length
35 cm (14 inches)
Sex
Female
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2018
Clade
  1. Theropoda
  2. Tetanurae
  3. Coelurosauria
  4. Maniraptoriformes
  5. Maniraptora
  6. Paraves
  7. Avialae
  8. Pygostylia
  9. Aves

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While the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia is the ancestral Gallus gallus, these skeletons are not of their wild ancestors, but rather of the domestic chicken. Broiler chickens have been bred for rapid growth and possession of extra pectoral muscle (i.e. white or breast meat) to meet market demands. They are often subjected to inhumane factory farming conditions, but when allowed, they still follow in their ancestors’ footsteps as ground-foraging birds noted for short flights, and in the males’ bright plumage, fleshy comb, and a loud crowing call.

Gallus gallus — The same domestic hen skeletal in a flight pose.
The same domestic hen skeletal in a flight pose. Drawn 2018