If you want to find out whether hens can be considered birds then you’ve come to the right article.
As, in this article, I’ll share the answer to this question with you, and also after you’ve read the answer to the main question then I’ll cover the answers to a few more closely related questions to extend your knowledge even more.
I hope that you learn a lot from the provided information.
Are Hens Considered Birds?
A hen is a particular type of bird.
The term ‘hen’ refers, specifically, to a female bird of any species.
Though it’s most commonly associated with chickens, the word can be used as a general catch-all term for female birds.
A female parrot is a hen.
So is a female crow.
So is a female pigeon.
Whether the word ‘hen’ is used broadly to describe female birds or, specifically, to describe female chickens depends on context.
In the farming industry, it gets used a lot and almost always means female chicken.
Taxonomically accurate use of the word “hen” tends to be important only for those studying and researching birds.
Are French Hens Considered Birds?
French hens are a type of bird.
‘Hen’ is used to refer, specifically, to female birds.
Some varieties of French hen include the Houdan, the Ardennaise, the Coucou des Flandres, the Bresse Gauloise, Faverolles, the Estaires, and the Coucou de Rennes, which are all varieties of chickens.
The term ‘French hen’ technically refers to any female bird that is native to France because a hen is not a species (it’s just a gendered term).
Are All Female Birds Hens?
Generally speaking, all-female birds are hens.
Some species use unique descriptors for their females; a female hawk is called a tiercel, for example, but the term ‘hen’ still applies regardless.
The male equivalent for birds is the term ‘cock’.
This is why female peacocks (though still peacocks) may also be called peahens.
What Female Birds Are Called Hens?
‘Hen’ is a catch-all term that’s used to refer to a female bird from any species.
Hens include vultures, parrots, peacocks, turkeys, pheasants, flamingoes, hummingbirds, and everything in between.
Though some types of birds have species-specific terms for their females, ‘hen’ still applies as a general descriptor.
Before a bird (male or female) becomes mature enough to breed, it’s called a ‘pullet’.
A pullet is a correct way to describe any type of juvenile bird.
There are differing opinions on when a chicken can be considered mature.
Some farmers believe pullets become hens (mature females) as soon as they’ve laid their first egg.
Others believe that maturity occurs at twelve months of age regardless of how many eggs a chicken produces.
Some commercial poultry farmers judge a hen’s maturity according to the hardness of her breastbone as their cartilage stiffens with age.
Are Hens Considered Animals?
Because birds are so different from ground-dwelling creatures, it’s easy to forget that they also belong to the animal kingdom.
A hen is a female bird, and birds are a type of animal.
So, naturally, a hen is an animal.
To date, over 11,000 bird species have been identified and classified including 150 extinct varieties.
All of these birds are considered animals though they vary wildly in size, shape, appearance, and behavior.
The word ‘animal’ encompasses all varieties of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects.
Only plant life is excluded.
Are Hens Flightless Birds?
When considering hens’ physical characteristics and abilities, it’s important to remember the term ‘hen’ can apply to any bird species.
The majority of birds can and do fly but a small percentage of species (currently around 60 species) have evolved to be flightless.
They include penguins, kiwis, ostriches, cassowaries, kakapos, and emus.
The females from these species are flightless hens.
So, hens are both flightless birds and flying birds.
It depends on their species and unique physical abilities.
Are Hens Scratching Birds?
Some hens are indeed scratching birds.
However, not all female birds exhibit this type of behavior.
The ones that do include chickens, turkeys, sparrows, grouse, towhees, quail, and pheasants.
Scratching is an evolutionary behavior that helps birds unearth life-sustaining seeds and bugs from the ground.
It’s a low-impact foraging style that involves raking up the ground with one or both feet.
Hens are both scratching birds and non-scratching birds.
It depends on their species and how they have evolved to survive in their native landscape.
Some birds scratch.
Some birds wade.
Other birds are excellent fishermen.
Are Hens Wading Birds?
Some hens are wading birds.
These include oystercatchers, killdeers, plovers, red knots, sandpipers, coots, woodhens, whimbrels, and many more.
Because the term ‘hen’ is used as a catch-all word for female birds, hens are sometimes wading birds but not always.
Though both may be called hens, a wading bird (such as a corncrake or greenshank) is very different in shape and appearance from a scratching species like a chicken.
Wading birds have long bills, long necks, and long legs that enable them to forage for food in shallow waters.
Hens are both wading birds and non-wading birds.
It depends entirely on their species.
What Are the Differences Between Hens and Chickens?
Recognizing the difference between a hen and a chicken is very straightforward.
The word ‘chicken’ refers to a specific species of ground scratching bird, the type of bird we’re accustomed to rearing in coops for their meat and eggs.
Males and females from this particular species are both called chickens.
A ‘hen’ is a female chicken.
So female chickens can be referred to as ‘hens’ or ‘chickens’ depending on the context.
Male chickens can be called ‘chickens’ or ‘cocks’ which is the male equivalent of the term ‘hen’.
‘Rooster’ is another commonly used term to describe a male chicken and, therefore, means the same as ‘cock’ in this context.
A rooster is, generally speaking, any type of male bird.
The basic difference between hens and chickens is that chickens can be either males or females.
Whilst hens can only be females.
Furthermore, the term ‘chicken’ refers to a specific species of bird regardless of their gender.
A ‘hen’ may be a female chicken or a female bird of another species.
So, all female chickens are hens but not all hens are female chickens.
Check out the video below if you want to find out how you can tell whether you’re seeing a rooster or a hen.