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Related Experiment Videos

Wing-flapping develops in chickens made flightless by feather mutations

R R Provine

    Developmental Psychobiology
    |September 1, 1981
    PubMed
    Summary

    Flightless mutant chickens developed normal wing-flapping rates without flight experience. Vestibular mechanisms, not feathers or vision, likely initiate this behavior in young birds.

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    Area of Science:

    • Avian biology
    • Developmental biology
    • Evolutionary biology

    Background:

    • Domestic chickens with mutations for scalelessness and delayed feathering are flightless.
    • Understanding the development of wing-flapping is crucial for avian flight evolution.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate if flight experience influences the development of wing-flapping rates.
    • To determine the sensory mechanisms initiating wing-flapping in young chickens.

    Main Methods:

    • Comparative study of flightless mutant chickens and normally feathered controls.
    • Testing wing-flapping rates at 13 days of age.
    • Assessing flapping initiation using sensory deprivation (masking eyes, darkened room).

    Main Results:

    • Flightless and control chicks exhibited similar wing-flapping rates by 13 days.
    • Normal adult wing-flapping rates developed without flight consequences.
    • Drop-evoked wing-flapping was initiated even without feathers or visual input.

    Conclusions:

    • Flight-related experience is not necessary for developing normal wing-flapping rates.
    • Vestibular input is likely the primary initiator of wing-flapping in young birds.
    • Feather mutations may play a role in the evolution of avian flightlessness.

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