Sicilian Buttercup (chicken)
Encyclopedia
The Sicilian Buttercup is a breed of domestic chicken
from the island of Sicily
. The breed was imported from the island of Sicily over 100 years ago and is another member of the Mediterranean class. It has attracted widespread interest over the country because of its unique beauty. The golden color and cup-shaped comb are the basis for the very descriptive name. The comb is a cup-shaped crown with a complete circle of medium sized regular points. The male and female do not look alike in coloring. The males are a rich, brilliant orange red with some black spangles in the feather of the body fluff and cape feathers at the base of the hackle; with lustrous, greenish black tail. The base color of the female is buff with all feathers on the body marked by parallel rows of black elongated spangles, giving the hen an appearance of being beautifully spotted and suggesting a ringneck pheasant hen. Skin color is yellow and shanks and toes are a willow green. Eggs are small and can be colored anywhere from white to heavily tinted. They are good fliers and free-ranging Buttercups will often be seen perching in elevated areas such as fencetops, haylofts, trees, and arbors.
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
from the island of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. The breed was imported from the island of Sicily over 100 years ago and is another member of the Mediterranean class. It has attracted widespread interest over the country because of its unique beauty. The golden color and cup-shaped comb are the basis for the very descriptive name. The comb is a cup-shaped crown with a complete circle of medium sized regular points. The male and female do not look alike in coloring. The males are a rich, brilliant orange red with some black spangles in the feather of the body fluff and cape feathers at the base of the hackle; with lustrous, greenish black tail. The base color of the female is buff with all feathers on the body marked by parallel rows of black elongated spangles, giving the hen an appearance of being beautifully spotted and suggesting a ringneck pheasant hen. Skin color is yellow and shanks and toes are a willow green. Eggs are small and can be colored anywhere from white to heavily tinted. They are good fliers and free-ranging Buttercups will often be seen perching in elevated areas such as fencetops, haylofts, trees, and arbors.