Classifying Poultry Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chicken

The names comes from the Tuscany region of Italy, with Leghorn being the English version of the Italian name of Livorno, a port city in that country . It is the originator of most modern day laying fowl.

Most of them have white feathers, but other colours have been developed including black, brown and mottled colours. They are known as prolific egg layers and are primarily kept for this purpose.

Answer: Chicken

As the name implies, this chicken breed originated in Australia. It was developed in the 1920s by crossing imported Orpington hens with various other breeds including Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns. The result was a hardy chicken, able to cope with the temperatures in Australia and one which produced a high volume of eggs.

Australorps have black, blue or, more rarely, white feathers and are classed as dual purpose, being used for meat as well as for egg production.

Answer: Chicken

Although this breed of chicken takes its name from the town of Dorking, in Surrey, England, it is possible that it was brought to England by the Romans. Sources agree that it is an ancient breed, developed in the southeastern region of England in Kent and Sussex as well as Surrey.

Primarily used for meat, Dorkings are also good layers of eggs. These chickens are available in a range of colours, although white is believed to be the original. Unfortunately, their numbers are dwindling and the breed is considered to be under threat.

Answer: Chicken

Silkies are unusual looking chickens with fluffy feathers which look more like fur. They have feathers resembling pompons on their heads and the softness of their plumage is what gives them their name.

The most common colours are black or white, although others include blue and gold. Smaller than the usual type of chicken, they are still classed as a variety of chicken although a smaller, bantam, version is available. Their skin is black, which makes their meat a little off-putting, but it still tastes like chicken, as do so many other things.

Answer: Duck

Although the name might make you think this is a Russian duck, it actually originated in South America as a wild bird. The breed was domesticated early and is unusual in that it is not related to the mallard, as most ducks are.

In the wild the ducks are mostly black but domesticated varieties have a range of shades including white, pied, lavender and brown. Muscovies are popular as meat since they are less fatty than most other duck breeds.

Answer: Duck

Most Aylesbury ducks have white plumage with their feathers being a source of filling for pillows and quilts. They also have white skin, unusually so as most breeds have yellow, and are popular as a meat bird, especially in the UK.

Their name comes from the town of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, which was the centre of the duck trade during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Answer: Duck

This beautiful looking duck has iridescent green/blue plumage mixed with black feathers, while their beaks and feet are also black. Their name is derived from Lake Cayuga, one of the Finger Lakes of New York State. The ducks were introduced to the region in the first half of the nineteenth century.

The Cayuga was used originally for meat, although the Pekin variety became more popular by the end of the nineteenth century. In the twenty-first century it is kept mainly for showing, although it can still be used for meat and/or egg production.

Answer: Duck

Primarily associated with Indonesia, rather than India, the Indian Runner is a slim, upright bird. As the name indicates, they run rather than waddle like most ducks, and will lay eggs wherever they happen to be.

Indian Runners are mostly kept as show birds and come in colours ranging from white and fawn to chocolate and black. They are also useful to organic gardeners, keeping down the population of slugs in particular.

Answer: Goose

Branta sandvicensis, the nene, may be better known to you as the Hawaiian goose. As the name tells you, it is native to the islands of Hawaii with the second part of its scientific name referring to the original name given to them of the Sandwich Islands.

The population of these geese was very much impacted by the European explorers and the introduction of predators. In the 1950s, the species came close to extinction but conservation efforts in England, led by Sir Peter Scott (son of the explorer Robert Falcon Scott) at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire meant birds bred in captivity could be reintroduced to the wild.

Answer: Goose

If you searched online for Danish landrace, you probably found the pig of that name. The expression 'landrace' refers to an animal or crop that has been developed specifically for the area in which it is farmed.

The Danish goose, as it is also known, is likely to have been bred from the grey geese found in Scandinavia, and there are references to Danish geese dating from the times of the Vikings, who used their feathers for guiding arrows. The colours are grey or a mixture of grey and white. This is another goose that came close to extinction towards the end of the twentieth century, but has been saved by conservationists.

Answer: Goose

The Twente goose originates from the region of that name in the Netherlands. Its plumage is white or a mixture of grey and white. The breed is extremely rare in the twenty-first century, dwindling from a high point of over 100,000 in 1900 to around 100 by 2011. The main cause was the First World War, which brought trading in the breed to a point from which it couldn't recover.

Efforts have been made to boost their numbers as they are considered a multi-purpose breed providing eggs, meat, feathers and acting as guards. They are mostly found in the region for which they are named.

Answer: Goose

Originally known as the Danubian goose, from the River Danube, this usually white goose was renamed as exports to Europe came from the port of Sebastopol in the Crimea. It is an unusual looking bird, with a smooth neck but with a body covered with thick, curly feathers. They were originally bred for their feathers, which were used in pillows - the breed has the heaviest covering of feathers of any goose.

The German names for this breed translate as 'unkempt goose' or 'curly-goose' and searching for a photo will show you why. Cross breeding means that there are some colour variations, but the white ones look perfect.