Caitlin Stier, contributor
The aptly named Transylvanian naked neck chicken looks like a strange chimera with a turkey head and a chicken body. Now Denis Headon at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, together with an international team of researchers, has unravelled the genetics that give this barnyard oddity its characteristic 'do.
Looking at genes from birds domesticated around the world, the researchers discovered a complex feather-patterning mutation that is enhanced by the vitamin A metabolite, retinoic acid. Localised production of retinoic acid on the neck makes the skin susceptible to the mutation's balding effects.
The birds, which likely originated in Romania hundreds of years ago, keep cool in the heat thanks to their unique appearance. The findings could help explain how other birds, such as vultures, dropped their feathers in exchange for a cool head.
Journal reference: PLoS Biology, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001028