Yes, chickens do have tongues. It’s an important part of their anatomy which they require in order to survive. Their tongue is very small and has a pointy tip.
Why do chickens have tongue color?
Tongue color varies from one breed of chicken to another but, as a rule, matches the rest of the inside of the bird’s mouth. For chickens, tongues have several functions. They allow them to taste things they eat, manipulate food, form sounds, and lap up water. A chickens tongue, like ours, contains taste buds.
While researching we ran into the question “What would happen if chickens had no tongues?”.
Without tongues, chickens would not be able to eat very well. It may be small, but a chicken’s tongue is a vital part of its anatomy. A particulalry interesting part of a chicken’s tongue is the lingual nail. We explain why.
You could be thinking “Do chickens have taste buds?”
My best answer is most of the taste buds are located on the tongue in humans whereas in chickens only 2% of the taste buds are on the tongue and the rest are in the oral cavity. But the reduction in the number of the taste bud doesn’t take away the fact they can also taste everything just the way we do.
Can you teach a chicken to talk like a parrot?
You could never teach a chicken to talk like a parrot! The lingual nail can be found at the tip of a chicken’s tongue. It is a strong and hard keratinization of the epithelium (tissue that lines the outer surface of the tongue.) This little structure is flexible enough that it can be used as a spoon for lifting grains.
Where is the lingual nail on a chicken?
The lingual nail can be found at the tip of a chicken’s tongue. It is a strong and hard keratinization of the epithelium (tissue that lines the outer surface of the tongue.) This little structure is flexible enough that it can be used as a spoon for lifting grains.