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poultry
Poultry is the category of domesticated birds that people keep for the purpose of collecting their eggs, or killing for their meat and/or feathers. Thesde most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails and turkeys) and the family Anatidae (in order Anseriformes), commonly known as "waterfowl" (e.g. domestic ducks and domestic geese). Poultry also include other birds which are killed for their meat, such as pigeons or doves or birds considered to be game, like pheasants. Poultry comes from the Latin word, poule, which means to hang. The term also refers to the flesh of such birds.
Examples
| Bird | Wild ancestor | Domestication | Killed or used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Red Junglefowl | Southeast Asia | meat, feathers, eggs, ornamentation |
| Duck | Mallard/Muscovy Duck | various | meat, feathers, eggs |
| Emu | Emu | various, 20th century | meat, leather, oil |
| Goose | Greylag Goose/Swan Goose | various | meat, feathers, eggs |
| Indian peafowl | Indian Peafowl | various | meat, feathers, ornamentation, landscaping |
| Mute swan | Mute Swan | various | feathers, eggs, landscaping |
| Ostrich | Ostrich | various, 20th century | meat, feathers, leather |
| Turkey | Wild Turkey | Mexico | meat, feathers |
| Domesticated guineafowl | Helmeted guineafowl | Africa | meat, pest consumption, and alarm calling |
| Common pheasant | Common pheasant | Eurasia | meat |
| Golden pheasant | Golden pheasant | Eurasia | meat, mainly ornamental |
| Rhea | Rhea | various, 20th century | meat, leather, oil, eggs |
Cuts of poultry
The meatiest parts of a bird are the flight muscles on its chest, called breast meat, and the walking muscles on the first and second segments of its legs, called the thigh and drumstick, respectively. White meat has less oxygen-carrying myoglobin than the dark meat, and is thus lighter in color. Dark meat comes from muscles more heavily exercised, which therefore have more fat stored in them. This accounts for dark meat's reputation as being both unhealthier and more flavorful than white meat. Birds that fly rarely (domestic turkey) or sporadically (chicken) have white meat breasts, and birds that fly frequently or long distances (ducks, geese and doves) have dark meat breasts. Quail breast meat is intermediate in color.See also
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