Araucana

Araucana

The Araucana is a most interesting breed of chicken, one that had three very distinguishing traits-- blue eggs, no tail, and ear tufts. They originated in Chile, and there are numerous theories on how they got the traits that they have, including crossbreeding with pheasants, crossing with European breeds, and genetic mutation.

The blue eggs of the Araucana are not unique among chickens, but they are rare. Only a handful of breeds produce them. One of those other breeds, the Collonca, was a direct ancestor to the Araucana. There is also a theory that way back, Chilean chickens crossed with Pheasants, and that some of the hens remained fertile. The blue eggs were still rare on the whole in late 19th century Chile, but were grew more and more common only a few decades later.

The Araucanas ear tufts are another distinguishing trait, one that may have arisen from a simple genetic mutation. It is also seen in a few other South American birds, including the Quetro, another direct ancestor. This mutation does have downsides-- it causes a higher percentage of fertilized eggs to be non-viable.

Finally, Araucanas have no tails. This trait was most likely bred for because a tailless chicken was harder for a predator to catch! They are sometimes referred to as the South American Rumpless, due to this lack of tail.

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Status : Domesticated
Location :  Chile
Size : Weight up to 7lbs (3.2kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves --   Order : Galliformes
Family : Phasianidae -- Genus : Gallus -- Species : G. gallus