Mark Twain once wrote, “Man is the only animal that blushes.” But a new study overturns that claim. A team from the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment found that chickens also blush when they’re frightened or excited. They also found that chickens fluff the feathers on their heads when they’re content. Scientists hope this discovery will help farmers better understand their birds’ emotions, especially when assessing welfare.
What Scientists Learned
Humans use facial expressions to convey emotions. Research has also shown that other mammals — mice, dogs, cats, and pigs — use facial cues to express different mental states. Aline Bertin, the study’s lead author, said the emotional world of birds remains largely unexplored compared to that of mammals. “So, we aimed to find out if birds have facial markers of emotions,” she explained.
During the study, scientists recorded the behavior of two groups of chickens: ten birds were raised on a commercial farm, while eight were kept by a private breeder. Analyzing the footage, the team found that the exposed skin on the chickens’ faces turned red when they were scared or excited — for example, when a person picked them up or when they heard a noise they perceived as a threat. The birds also fluffed the feathers on their heads when preening or resting, as reported by The Guardian.
This is the first study to link chickens’ blushing to their mood. Dr. Paul Rose, an animal behavior researcher at the University of Exeter in the UK, says the findings could help improve chicken welfare. “To improve our assessment of the welfare of farm animals, we need to use simple and reliable indicators,” Dr. Rose said. “It seems the authors have discovered something interesting, particularly regarding feather fluffing, which will help caregivers and farmers determine how satisfied their birds are.” The study appeared in the journal PLOS ONE.
