Awattle is a fleshycaruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds and mammals. Caruncles in birds include those found on the face, wattles,dewlaps,snoods, and earlobes. Wattles are generally paired structures but may occur as a single structure when it is sometimes known as a dewlap. Wattles are frequently organs ofsexual dimorphism. In some birds, caruncles are erectile tissue and may or may not have a feather covering.[1][2]
Wattles are often such a strikingmorphological characteristic of animals that they feature in their common name. For example, the southern and northern cassowaries are known as the double-wattled and single-wattled cassowary, respectively, and a breed of domestic pig is known as theRed Wattle.
In birds, wattles are often an ornament for courtingpotential mates. Large wattles are correlated with high testosterone levels, good nutrition, and the ability to evade predators, which in turn indicates a potentially successful mate. Ornamental organs such as wattles may be associated withgenes coding for disease resistance.[3] Inumbrellabirds, the wattle serves to amplify the birds' calls.[4]
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Birds with wattles include:
Mammals with wattles include:
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The Amazonian speciesCephalopterus ornatus, the ornate umbrella bird, has an inflatable wattle at the neck to amplify its humming call, and in display elevates a long crest (12 cm - 4 in) lying above the bill so that it rises umbrella-like above ...