Chooks

There are more chickens on the planet than any other species of bird, though not many of them get to roam freely.

 

Henrietta aka Brandy (Gallus gallus domesticus)
1/1000, f5.6, ISO 3200

 

I’ve been reading about the history of domestic chickens and it seems that they derived from Red Junglefowl and were originally bred for cock fighting. The chook above was moving quickly and constantly with a brisk wind ruffling her feathers. I needed high ISO to get the shutter speed to 1/1000th of a second or the image would have been a blur.

Anyone who has kept backyard chooks knows that they can be comical characters with distinct personalities, which has me thinking that it’s probably the same with all birds.

 

“Keeping up Appearances” (Gallus gallus)
1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 1600

 

There are plenty of escapee chooks in Australia and established feral populations exist on tropical and sub-tropical islands (according to The Australian Bird Guide). Apparently feral populations revert to wild type plumage. The rooster above was wandering freely near a campground in regional Victoria and it looks like a typical Red Junglefowl with its bare red facial skin along with its impressive comb and wattles. The golden neck feathers and beautifully luminous green tail feathers contrast nicely with its white rump.

The rooster has a golden eye and some pin feathers on its neck. I was rapt to capture the shot as he was moving crazily quickly. What a resplendent specimen he is.

Happy birding

Kim

 

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