Wattle (anatomy)

{{Short description|Fleshy growth on the head or neck of a bird}}

File:Rooster portrait2.jpg's wattles hang from the throat]]

A wattle is a fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds and mammals. Caruncles in birds include those found on the face, wattles, dewlaps, snoods, and earlobes. Wattles are generally paired structures but may occur as a single structure when it is sometimes known as a dewlap. Wattles are frequently organs of sexual dimorphism. In some birds, caruncles are erectile tissue and may or may not have a feather covering.John James Audubon, Dean Amadon, John L Bull. 1967 The Birds of AmericaRichard Bowdler Sharpe. 1888. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, British Natural History Museum, Department of Zoology

Wattles are often such a striking morphological characteristic of animals that they feature in their common name. For example, the southern and northern cassowaries are known as the double-wattled and single-wattled cassowary, respectively, and a breed of domestic pig is known as the Red Wattle.

Birds

=Function=

In birds, wattles are often an ornament for courting potential mates. Large wattles are correlated with high testosterone levels, good nutrition, and the ability to evade predators, which in turn indicates a potentially successful mate. Ornamental organs such as wattles may be associated with genes coding for disease resistance.{{cite journal | doi = 10.1007/s10709-010-9440-5 | volume=138 | title=Are large wattles related to particular MHC genotypes in the male pheasant? | year=2010 | journal=Genetica | pages=657–665 | last1 = Baratti | first1 = Mariella | last2 = Ammannati | first2 = Martina | last3 = Magnelli | first3 = Claudia | last4 = Massolo | first4 = Alessandro | last5 = Dessì-Fulgheri | first5 = Francesco | issue=6 | pmid=20145977| s2cid=35053439 }} In umbrellabirds, the wattle serves to amplify the birds' calls. {{cite book |title=The Hutchinson encyclopedia |page=1087

|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1859862888

The Amazonian species Cephalopterus ornatus, the ornate umbrella bird, has an inflatable wattle at the neck to amplify its humming call, and in display elevates a long crest (12 cm - 4 in) lying above the bill so that it rises umbrella-like above ...}}

=Examples=

File:SHMyna DSC9598.jpg in southern India shows yellow wattles on the head]]

File:English carrier(blue bar).jpg with pale wattles around the eyes and beak]]

Birds with wattles include:

From the neck or throat
Birds of the genus Casuarius: the northern, southern, and dwarf cassowaries
Galliformes (e.g., wild turkeys,{{Cite web|url=http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=2199|last=Hogan|first= C. Michael |title=Wild Turkey: Meleagris gallopavo |website=GlobalTwitcher.com |editor=N. Stromberg |year=2008}} chickens)
Some vultures
Some lapwings
The male of the wattled starling
SomeJohn White. 1790. Voyage to New South Wales

Australian wattlebirds (Anthochaera spp.)

The New Zealand wattlebirds (Callaeidae), which include the kōkako, tīeke or saddleback, and the huia
The wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus)
Three neotropical bellbird species
From below or around the eyes
The African wattle-eye or puffback flycatcher
The wattled jacana (Jacana jacana)
The African wattled lapwing (Vanellus senegallus)
Many male pheasants
Spectacled tyrant
Gracula hill mynas
Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata)
The English carrier pigeon

Mammals

Mammals with wattles include:

Some domestic goats have fleshy, fur-covered protuberances, called tassels, hanging on either side of the throat.
Some domestic pigs, such as the Kunekune, Lithuanian Native pig, and Red Wattle have a fleshy protuberance hanging on either side of the throat.

Gallery

File:Male common pheasant.jpg|A common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) with bright red facial wattles

File:White Bellbird-Araponga-da-amazônia-Campanero blanco (Procnias albus) male (cropped).jpg|A male white bellbird (Procnias albus) with a long wattle hanging from the upper bill

File:Casuarius casuarius -upper body -captive-8a-2c.jpg|A southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) with double wattles hanging from the throat

File:Goat with unusual horns.jpg|A goat (Capra hircus) with small wattles at the base of its throat

File:Red Wattle pig.jpg|Red Wattle pig with wattles at the base of the throat

References

Category:Birds

Category:Bird anatomy

Category:Vertebrate anatomy