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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“Keeping Up Appearances” – love that photo Kim.
It was surprisingly tricky to photograph him but I’m glad I persevered, and I’m glad you like him
Of course birds have personality. And sometimes poisonality.
Love that rooster.
And am also a big fan of contented chooky warbles. Such a comforting sound.
Hehe, so true. I also find it comforting to listen to chooks. I’ve had a chook pen at the ready for a couple of decades but still no chooks, there are so many foxes here that I haven’t felt able to commit to them.
stunning colours and expression on that chook pic !!
They are surprisingly lovely and comical, thank you Sue, Kim
The rooster certainly has magnificent plumage. I love the clarity of both your photographs. I also love chickens. Their antics never cease to amaze me.
Thank you Meredith. I find them so relaxing to watch and listen to, unless the rooster is in attack mode that is. The word ‘plumage’ always reminds me of Monty Python’s Norwegian parrot, it is definitely magnificent.
Wonderful portraits!
Thanks Cloudia 🙂
Thanks Kim. I was surprised to see lots of chooks running free over on Norfolk Island. Handsome birds!
That must have look so comical Carolyn
Interesting article. Thank you also for the beautiful picture in B&W…
Thank you Maurizio