I think and this is just me, A lot of anciet breeds like emu, kiwi ect... have those feathers.. the origional south american breed may have been a good ground nester, there were as many enemys in the air as on the ground in south american jungle . Does anyone know exactly what the origional aracuana looked like befor domestic chickes were added? It was pretty much wild fowl. Im just cuirois as to what the origional bird looked like, does anyone know? there must be some record. It origionated in chile, forgive my spelling
Here is a bit on ancestry
Ancestors
The ancestors of the modern Araucana chicken were purportedly first bred by the Araucanians Indians of Chile -- hence the name "Araucana." The Araucana as we know it today is a hybrid of two South American breeds: the Collonca (a naturally blue-egg laying, rumpless, clean-faced chicken) and the Quetro (a pinkish-brown egg layer that is tailed and has ear-tufts). The Collonca male and female are very similar, with very few secondary sexual characteristics like comb, wattles or tail coverts to distinguish them. Naturally, after centuries of introgression with other South American races, for example, Quechua, Huapi, Ona and Mapuche, South American Indian villages Colloncas are more often than not, composites. The Quetro or Quetero is also nearly combless but the sexes are markedly dichromatic. The male of both Colloncas and Quetero have unusual voices. The Quetero has a multi-syllabilic laughing crow. Colloncas have a slightly musical crow. Muffs and beards are present in most South American domestic fowl. The European equivalent of the North American show standard variety Araucana is what one comes across in South American villages. Quechua and Mapuche do not have tufts and resemble the Ameraucana. The Quechua is larger, and more powerfully built. It is shaped more like a game fowl than the Mapuche which is smaller, lighter and less domesticated in the sense that it is a semi-feral bird while the Quechua is a domestic bird reared for meat and eggs. The Mapuche is also known as the Chilean Passion Fowl and the Aymara Fire Fowl. Mapuche are generally crested and exhibit markedly colorful plumage in both sexes. The Quechua is unremarkable in plumage, closely resembling the North American standard Ameraucana. a composite between many of the South American domestic fowl races is known as the Falklands Isles Hen. These birds are descended from many different strains of birds purchased from Indian villages on the eastern coast of South America. The Falkland Isles hen is the progenitor of the Shetland Isles hen, U.K. Araucana and Ameraucana.
