CHICKEN
			Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Species: Chordata Aves Galioformes Phasuabudae

The word chicken may also define any young bird, and is normally used for the domestic fowl. The chicken is the most common bird worldwide. It was domesticated over 4,000 years ago and is thought to have been bred from the red jungle fowl of India and S outheast Asia. It was first used for religious and sacrificial purposes, the eggs and flesh not being used until much later. There are now dozens of commercial breeds as well as ornamental ones bred for their attractive plumage.

Like most game birds, the chicken is mainly vegetarian, eating mostly seeds, fruits and leaves, but also enjoys worms and insects. It has a strong gizzard in which the seeds are ground up with the aid of small stones, which the bird swallows.

The chicken has short wings and can sustain only short bursts of flight. Roosters (the males) can be recognized by the larger wattles and combs on the head and also by the glossy greenish tail feathers.