Hackles

{{Short description|Erectile plumage or hair in the neck}}

{{About|erectile plumage or hair in the neck area|other uses|Hackle (disambiguation)}}

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Hackles are the erectile plumage or hair in the neck area of some birds and mammals.

In birds, the hackle is the group of feathers found along the back and side of the neck.{{cite book|last1=Damerow|first1=Gail|author-link=Gail Damerow|title=The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference|date=2012|publisher=Storey Publishing|isbn=9781603427760|page=137}} The hackles of some types of chicken, particularly roosters, are long, fine, and often brightly coloured.{{cite book|last1=Damerow|first1=Gail|author-link=Gail Damerow|title=Guide to Raising|date=2010|publisher=Storey Publishing|isbn=9781603424691|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781603424691/page/20 20]|chapter=Chapter 1: Choosing a breed|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781603424691/page/20}} These hackles may be used in fly fishing as lures.

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In mammals, the hackles are the hairs of the neck and back which become erect when the animal is fearful, as part of the fight-or-flight response,{{cite book|last1=Hudson|first1=Lola|last2=Hamilton|first2=William|title=Atlas of Feline Anatomy For Veterinarians|date=2017|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781351465311|page=|chapter=Arrector pili muscles}} or to show dominance over subordinate animals. Raising the hackles causes the animal to appear larger,{{cite book|last1=Dallas|first1=Sue|last2=Ackerman|first2=Nicola|editor1-last=Ackerman|editor1-first=Nicola|editor2-last=Aspinall|editor2-first=Victoria|title=Aspinall's Complete Textbook of Veterinary Nursing|date=2016|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|isbn=9780702066092|page=111|chapter=Chapter 6. Canine and feline anatomy and physiology}} and acts as a visual warning to other animals.{{cite journal|last1=Svartberg|first1=Kenth|last2=Forkman|first2=Björn|title=Personality traits in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)|journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science|date=October 20, 2002|volume=79|issue=2|pages=133–155|doi=10.1016/s0168-1591(02)00121-1|url=http://wayosi.no/images/Filer/Personality_in_dogs.pdf}} Raised hackles are used by grey wolves as a dominance behavior,{{cite book|editor=James Serpell|others=pencil drawings by Priscilla Barrett|title=The domestic dog : its evolution, behaviour, and interactions with people|date=1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, England|isbn=9780521425377|page=[https://archive.org/details/domesticdogitsev00serp/page/118 118]|edition=Repr.|url=https://archive.org/details/domesticdogitsev00serp/page/118}} by moose preparing to attack,{{Citation|last=Colorado Parks and Wildlife|title=Moose Attacks Are Increasing|date=2018-10-15|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Qj9K_eJJE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/q6Qj9K_eJJE |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|access-date=2018-10-24}}{{cbignore}} and by cats and striped hyena which are fearful or threatened.{{cite book|last1=Estes|first1=Richard D.|title=The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, and Primates|date=1999|publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing|isbn=9781603581851|page=286}} The process by which the hair is raised is called piloerection.{{cite book|last1=Taibo|first1=Angela|title=Veterinary Medical Terminology: Guide and Workbook|date=2014|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781118774670|page=|chapter=Chapter 11: The integumentary system}} The contraction of the arrector pili muscle associated with each hair follicle causes the hair to become erect.