Happy Saturday, Missians!
And welcome to our 2nd, 2018 Christmas in July post. In continuing with our Twelve Days of Christmas theme, today's post combines three of the animals from the popular carol: Calling Birds, French Hens, and Turtle Doves. I've always wondered what a calling bird was, anyway. After all, don't all birds call? And I get what a regular hen and dove are, but what's a French hen and a Turtle dove? If like me, you're pondering these same questions, keep reading. Let's see where the answers lead us...
Calling Birds--or is it Colly?
It turns out that Calling birds in an Americanization of colly or collie bird. Colly means black; so, basically a colly bird is a black bird. Black birds are known for their melodic, flute-like calls. Blackbirds start singing in late January in order to establish their nesting territory. Two of the sub-species of blackbird have been known to mimic other sounds such as other birds, alarms, and even humans.
So, what's a French Hen?
Is it a hen from France? That may seem too obvious, but based on what little I found, it seems to be so. The French Hen from The Twelve Days of Christmas could either be a Faverolles, which is a French breed of chicken, or a Poulet de Bresse, which is a breed of chicken that comes from a small area in Eastern France. Sort of the same thing, I suppose--yet not. The Poulet de Bresse is supposed to be the highest standard of chicken. It has to be raised and fed a certain way and meet appellation of origin requirements. I couldn't find anything specifically linking these French birds to the famous French Hen. I only ran across people's opinions of this possibility. But if you want to know more about these fowl, click here and here.
Now for the Turtle Dove...
"Turtle Dove is a species of birds in the Columbidae family. The name ‘Turtle’ comes from the ‘turr turr’ noises that are emitted by the birds and has nothing to do with the shelled animal. The ‘S. turtur’ species also contains a few other dove subspecies. Turtle Doves are a migratory species that are found in almost all parts of the world, except for places that are extreme cold or extreme dry. The most common type of Turtle Dove is the European Turtle Doves that are found in Europe during the spring seasons and migrate to southern Africa during the winter. These birds are rare in Scandinavia and Russia.
Turtle Doves are small and timid birds and can measure between 24-29 cm (9.4 -11 in) in length and have a wingspan of 47-55 cm (19-22 in). They weigh between 85-170 grams. Turtle Doves are extremely shy creatures and tend to stay away from human civilizations with creating homes in trees and forests".
From "Difference Between Doves and Turtle Doves"
http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-dove-and-turtle-dove
Click on the link above to read more on Turtle Doves.
Calling Bird Information courtesy of "What is a Calling Bird Referenced in the Twelve Days of Christmas?"
https://hubpages.com/animals/What-is-a-calling-bird-that-is-referenced-in-The-Twelve-Days-of-Christmas
Poulet de Bresse courtesy of Sunbird Farms:
http://sunbirdfarms.com/2013/01/poulet-de-bresse/
Faverolles courtesy of Poultry Breeds: Faverolles Chickens
http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/poultry/chickens/faverolles/index.html
Did you enjoy today's Twelve Days of Christmas post? Good. Then keep tuning in. We'll be back with another one on Monday!
Until then,
Have an awesome weekend!
This is your host J,
signing off....
And welcome to our 2nd, 2018 Christmas in July post. In continuing with our Twelve Days of Christmas theme, today's post combines three of the animals from the popular carol: Calling Birds, French Hens, and Turtle Doves. I've always wondered what a calling bird was, anyway. After all, don't all birds call? And I get what a regular hen and dove are, but what's a French hen and a Turtle dove? If like me, you're pondering these same questions, keep reading. Let's see where the answers lead us...
Calling Birds--or is it Colly?
It turns out that Calling birds in an Americanization of colly or collie bird. Colly means black; so, basically a colly bird is a black bird. Black birds are known for their melodic, flute-like calls. Blackbirds start singing in late January in order to establish their nesting territory. Two of the sub-species of blackbird have been known to mimic other sounds such as other birds, alarms, and even humans.
So, what's a French Hen?
Is it a hen from France? That may seem too obvious, but based on what little I found, it seems to be so. The French Hen from The Twelve Days of Christmas could either be a Faverolles, which is a French breed of chicken, or a Poulet de Bresse, which is a breed of chicken that comes from a small area in Eastern France. Sort of the same thing, I suppose--yet not. The Poulet de Bresse is supposed to be the highest standard of chicken. It has to be raised and fed a certain way and meet appellation of origin requirements. I couldn't find anything specifically linking these French birds to the famous French Hen. I only ran across people's opinions of this possibility. But if you want to know more about these fowl, click here and here.
Now for the Turtle Dove...
"Turtle Dove is a species of birds in the Columbidae family. The name ‘Turtle’ comes from the ‘turr turr’ noises that are emitted by the birds and has nothing to do with the shelled animal. The ‘S. turtur’ species also contains a few other dove subspecies. Turtle Doves are a migratory species that are found in almost all parts of the world, except for places that are extreme cold or extreme dry. The most common type of Turtle Dove is the European Turtle Doves that are found in Europe during the spring seasons and migrate to southern Africa during the winter. These birds are rare in Scandinavia and Russia.
Turtle Doves are small and timid birds and can measure between 24-29 cm (9.4 -11 in) in length and have a wingspan of 47-55 cm (19-22 in). They weigh between 85-170 grams. Turtle Doves are extremely shy creatures and tend to stay away from human civilizations with creating homes in trees and forests".
From "Difference Between Doves and Turtle Doves"
http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-dove-and-turtle-dove
Click on the link above to read more on Turtle Doves.
Calling Bird Information courtesy of "What is a Calling Bird Referenced in the Twelve Days of Christmas?"
https://hubpages.com/animals/What-is-a-calling-bird-that-is-referenced-in-The-Twelve-Days-of-Christmas
Poulet de Bresse courtesy of Sunbird Farms:
http://sunbirdfarms.com/2013/01/poulet-de-bresse/
Faverolles courtesy of Poultry Breeds: Faverolles Chickens
http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/poultry/chickens/faverolles/index.html
Did you enjoy today's Twelve Days of Christmas post? Good. Then keep tuning in. We'll be back with another one on Monday!
Until then,
Have an awesome weekend!
This is your host J,
signing off....
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