Rhode Island Red Is The Official State Bird Of Rhode Island. The Rhode Island red chicken was adopted as the official Rhode Island State Bird in 1954. The Rhode Island Redbird was chosen during an election sponsored by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs. The National Bird Of Rhode Island is America’s best-known breed of chicken and one of the most popular types of domesticated fowl in the world. The birds are red in more ways than one: their feathers range from rust-colored to a maroon-ish black; their eyes are red-orange, and they have reddish-brown beaks.
Like most other domestic chickens, the State Bird Of Rhode Island red has yellow feet and flaps of bare red skin near its bill and forehead. Males are much larger than females and have red wattles on their heads and a “cape” of gold and bronze feathers on the back and lower back. The tail is composed of long, arching, iridescent black feathers that shimmer with green, blue, and purple. Roosters have a long spur on their lower leg, which is used in fights against other roosters.
The female’s plumage is pale brown, and she lacks head wattles. All domesticated chickens consume a diet of grain, although free-range chickens pick food off the ground and probe beneath the soil for seeds and grubs. National Bird Of Rhode Island has a wide range of calls to communicate and to alert their fellow birds to predators. A female Rhode Island red can produce up to 300 eggs per year. During the mating season, Male Rhode Island State Bird birds try to attract females with their “cock-a-doodle-doo” calls.
Males will also flirt with females with a display called “tid-bitting” in which the male coaxes the female to pick up a piece of grain he has given to her. Like all domestic chickens, Rhode Island State Bird red is descended from the red jungle fowl found in tropical and subtropical parts of South and Southeast Asia. Domestication of the bird has long been believed to date from 5,000–7,000 years ago in India.
HABITAT
Farms and pastures
Migration: Non-migratory
Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
NESTING
Nesting Period: summer months
Size of Clutch: 8–12 eggs
Incubation Period: 19–21 days
Egg Description: Light brown to dark brown