Facial blushing and feather fluffing are indicators of emotions in domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Abstract

The study of facial expressions in mammals provided great advances in the identification of their emotions and then in the comprehension of their sentience. So far, this area of research has excluded birds. With a naturalist approach, we analysed facial blushing and feather displays in domestic fowl. Hens were filmed in situations contrasting in emotional valence and arousal level: situations known to indicate calm states (positive valence / low arousal), have rewarding effects (positive valence / high arousal) or induce fear-related behaviour (negative valence / high arousal). Head feather position as well as skin redness of comb, wattles, ear lobes and cheeks varied across these situations. Skin of all four areas was less red in situations with low arousal compared to situations with higher arousal. Furthermore, skin redness of the cheeks and ear lobes also varied depending on the valence of the situation: redness was higher in situations with negative valence compared to situations with positive valence. Feather position also varied with the situations. Feather fluffing was mostly observed in positively valenced situations, except when hens were eating. We conclude that hens have facial displays that reveal their emotions and that blushing is not exclusive to humans. This opens a promising way to explore the emotional lives of birds, which is a critical step when trying to improve poultry welfare.