Gallic Rooster - National Bird of France

National Bird the Coq Gaulois or the Gallic Rooster is one of the national symbols of France. The French Flag during the revolution was decorated with the image of the Gallic Rooster. The Gallic Rooster has been used for centuries by folk artists as a decorative motif on ceramics or carved and veneered wooden furniture. In 1830, the "Gallic Rooster" replaced the fleur-de-lis as the national emblem, and it was again discarded by Napoleon III. In 1848, this bird was found on the seal of the Rupublic and in 1899, the rooster was the motif of 20 franc coins. It can also be found on stamps and usually figures as the emblem of French National team in International Sports Events.

Interesting & Amazing Facts About Gallic Rooster:

1. The Latin word gallus means rooster (it's the root word behind the Spanish gallo as well), and it can also be used to refer to a citizen of Gaul, now known as France.
2. This bird was probably first domesticated for the purpose of cockfights, not as food.
3. An adult male chicken is called a “rooster” and an adult female is called a “hen.”
4. Gallic Roosters are larger, usually more brightly colored, and have larger combs on top of their heads compared to hens.
5. Hens lay up to 240 eggs in a year.
6. Chickens can fly but because they are heavy, they can only go about 60 meters (200 ft).
7. Male roosters are more aggressive than the females.
8. Roosters do not have a reproductive but they have an opening called the cloaca. It is not visible.The rooster moves his cloaca near the hen's cloaca (females have a similar opening) and he deposits his sperm inside the hen's cloaca.
9. The hen will lay the egg within about 24 hours after the ovulation occurs. An egg will emerge regardless of whether it was fertilized.
10. It is a male rooster’s job to make sure his hens, or female chickens, are safe from other roosters and are able to eat.
11. Rooster is like an alarm clock for the farm, because it wakes up early in the morning with the sun.
12. Chickens aren’t completely flightless—they can get airborne enough to make it over a fence or into a tree.
13. These birds are omnivores. They’ll eat seeds and insects but also larger prey like small mice and lizards.
14. Baby chickens are chicks. Female chickens are pullets until they’re old enough to lay eggs and become hens. Male chickens are called roosters, cocks or cockerels, depending on the country you’re in.
15. A rooster announces to a flock of chickens that he’s found food with a “took, took, took.” But the hens don’t pay attention if they already know that there is food around.
16. Females prefer males that often perform tidbitting(like a dance) and have larger, brighter combs on top of their heads.
17. A female chicken will mate with many different males but if she decides, after the deed is done, that she doesn’t want a particular rooster’s offspring and can eject his sperm. This occurs most often when the male is lower in the pecking order.