Listen to the chicken
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the chicken
The chicken is a bird in the family Phasianidae (order Galliformes). Wikidata describes it as “domesticated bird (specifically a red junglefowl) kept by humans primarily as a food source”.
What does the chicken sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as chickens demanding food and song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is the domesticated form of the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is one of the most common and widespread domesticated animals in the world. Chickens are primarily kept for their meat and eggs, though they are also kept as pets.
As of 2023, the global chicken population exceeded 26.5 billion, with more than 50 billion birds produced annually for consumption. Specialized breeds such as broilers and laying hens have been developed for meat and egg production, respectively. A hen bred for laying can produce over 300 eggs per year. Chickens are social animals with complex vocalizations and behaviors, and feature in folklore, religion, and literature across many societies. Their economic importance makes them a central component of global animal husbandry.
Related birds in the genus Gallus
More from the family Phasianidae
Common quail
Coturnix coturnix
Indian peafowl
Pavo cristatus
Western capercaillie
Tetrao urogallus
Common pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
Black grouse
Lyrurus tetrix
Hazel grouse
Tetrastes bonasia
Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Rock ptarmigan
Lagopus muta
Congo peafowl
Afropavo congensis
Great argus
Argusianus argus
Frequently asked questions
What does a chicken sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the chicken on this page, including its chickens demanding food and song. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
What family does the chicken belong to?
The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) belongs to the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.
Sources & credits
- Chickens demanding food by alys – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · farma Lesná záhrada, Hrubý Šúr, Senec District, Bratislava… by Alexander Kürthy – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q780 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Chicken – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Kruppert_Cubalaya.JPG : Kruppert – CC BY-SA 3.0