Why Some Pigeons Are Growing Chicken Like Legs (It’s Not Just Weird)

New genetic research reveals pigeons sport scaled legs that mimic chickens thanks to shared mutations

Image Source: Reddit

You’ve probably seen a pigeon with unusually feathery or chunky legs and thought, “Wait, that looks more like a chicken.” Turns out it’s not just your imagination. A growing body of research shows pigeons and chickens share genetic changes that can make pigeon legs resemble those of chickens.

Scientists have known for a while that feathered legs, known as ptilopody, aren’t unusual in fancy pigeon breeds like English Pouters and in some chicken breeds. What’s fascinating is the same two genes, TBX5 and PITX1, are involved in both birds. Mutations in those genes mess with limb development genes, causing feathers to appear where normally there would be scales.

• Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni Becomes Sky-Sized Mirror in Rainy Season

In 2020, a major study comparing 167 chicken breeds and dozens of pigeon breeds found that both species developed feathered feet through a process called parallel evolution. That means they independently evolved similar genetic tweaks on similar genes. Specifically, a tiny mutation near TBX5 and a deletion in a regulatory region near PITX1 cause down regulation of hindlimb identity and up regulation of forelimb identity. In effect, pigeon legs become more wing like, sprouting feathers and sometimes looking downright chicken esque.

This isn’t just fancy pigeon fluff. In pigeon embryos with these mutations, gene expression patterns in the hindlimbs resemble those found in wings. Basically, the genetic signals get flipped, so the feet grow feathers instead of what's typical for a bird’s leg.

Pigeons with chicken like legs

byu/Un_1known ininteresting

Is this a one off weirdness? Not at all. Feathered legs appear in wild birds like owls, snowy owls, golden eagles, and ptarmigans and likely via the same TBX5 and PITX1 pathway. Nature, it seems, has a genetic toolbox and sometimes very different birds tap into the same tools.

• The Science Behind How Insects Fly in the Rain

Thanks to selective breeding in fancy bird circles or accidental mutations in the wild, pigeons with chicken like legs are more common than you’d expect. So next time you see one, you’re not just spotting a genetic fluke. You’re witnessing evolution in action, repeating a pattern across species separated by millions of years.