| Fowls | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Australian brushturkey (Alectura lathami) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Neognathae |
| Clade: | Pangalloanserae |
| Superorder: | Galloanserae Sclater, 1880 |
| Subgroups | |
| Synonyms | |
Anatophasianae | |
Fowl arebirds belonging to one of twobiological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl (Galliformes) and the waterfowl (Anseriformes). Anatomical and molecular similarities suggest these two groups are closeevolutionary relatives; together, they form the fowlclade which is scientifically known asGalloanserae orGalloanseres (initially termed Galloanseri) (Latingallus ("rooster") +ānser ("goose")).[3] This clade is also supported by morphological andDNA sequence data[4] as well asretrotransposonpresence/absence data.[5]
As opposed to "fowl", "poultry" is a term for any kind ofdomesticated bird or bird captive-raised for meat, eggs, or feathers;ostriches, for example, are sometimes kept as poultry, but are neither gamefowl nor waterfowl. In colloquial speech, however, the term "fowl" is often used near-synonymously with "poultry", and many languages do not distinguish between "poultry" and "fowl". Nonetheless, the fact that the Galliformes and Anseriformes most likely form amonophyletic group makes a distinction between "fowl" and "poultry" warranted.
The historic difference in English is due to the Germanic/Latin split word pairs characteristic ofMiddle English; the word 'fowl' is of Germanic origin (cf. Old English "fugol", West Frisianfûgel, Dutchvogel, GermanVogel, Swedishfågel, Danish/Norwegianfugl), whilst 'poultry' is of Latinpullus ("chicken") viaNorman French originpoule ("chicken");[6][7] the presence of an initial /p/ inpoultry and an initial /f/ infowl is due toGrimm's Law.
Many birds that are eaten by humans are fowl, includingpoultry such aschickens orturkeys,game birds such aspheasants orpartridges, other wildfowl likeguineafowl orpeafowl, andwaterfowl such asducks orgeese.
While they are quite diverseecologically and consequently, in an adaptation to their different lifestyles, alsomorphologically andethologically, some features still unite water- and landfowl. Many of these, however, areplesiomorphic forNeornithes as a whole, and are also shared withpaleognaths.[citation needed]
From thefossils that have been recovered, the conclusion that the Galloanserae were already widespread by the end of theCretaceous is generally accepted. A combination of fossils andmolecular clocks estimated the origin of Galloanserae at 85 million years ago.[9] Fossils such asVegavis indicate that essentially modern waterfowl, albeit belonging to a now-extinct lineage, were contemporaries of the non-aviandinosaurs. While the dominantavialans of theMesozoic Era, theEnantiornithes, died out with all other non-avian dinosaurs, the Galloanserae (fowl) survived to become the first successful group of modern birds after the other dinosaurs died out.
As opposed to themorphologically fairly conservative Galliformes, the Anseriformes have adapted to filter-feeding and are characterized by manyautapomorphies related to this lifestyle. The extremely advanced feeding systems of the Anseriformes, together with similarities of the early anseriformPresbyornis toshorebirds, had formerly prompted some scientists to ally Anseriformes withCharadriiformes, instead.[10][11] However, as strong support for the Galloanserae has emerged in subsequent studies, the fowl clade continues to be accepted as a genuine evolutionary lineage by the vast majority of scientists.
Fowl have deep spiritual meanings and roots in ancient cultures, such as Hinduism in India and in many Pagan cultures throughout the world. The peacock, for example, represents truth, beauty, honor, and strength and dreams of peacocks are referred to as good omens.[12]
Fowl are frequently kept for both meat and eggs.Chickens, by far, are the most heavily consumed and farmed out of all of them. Other fowl commonly used in cooking includeducks,geese,turkeys andquail.
Various species of fowl are hunted for both sport and food.Pheasants have been widely introduced and naturalized outside of their native range in Asia to Europe and North America for use as food and sport.[13]
