Hackles

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Erectile plumage or hair in the neck

title: "Hackles" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["animal-hair", "feathers"] description: "Erectile plumage or hair in the neck" topic_path: "general/animal-hair" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackles" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Erectile plumage or hair in the neck ::

::callout[type=note] erectile plumage or hair in the neck area ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Rooster-475790.jpg" caption="Yellow hackles on the neck area of a rooster"] ::

Hackles are the erectile plumage or hair in the neck area of some birds and mammals.

In birds, the hackle is the group of feathers found along the back and side of the neck. The hackles of some types of chicken, particularly roosters, are long, fine, and often brightly coloured. These hackles may be used in fly fishing as lures.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Expression_of_the_Emotions_Figure_5.png" caption="Drawing of a dog with raised hackles"] ::

In mammals, the hackles are the hairs of the neck and back which become erect when the animal is fearful, as part of the fight-or-flight response, or to show dominance over subordinate animals. Raising the hackles causes the animal to appear larger, and acts as a visual warning to other animals. Raised hackles are used by grey wolves as a dominance behavior, by moose preparing to attack, and by cats and striped hyena which are fearful or threatened. The process by which the hair is raised is called piloerection. The contraction of the arrector pili muscle associated with each hair follicle causes the hair to become erect.

References

References

  1. (2012). "The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference". Storey Publishing.
  2. (2010). "Guide to Raising". Storey Publishing.
  3. (2017). "Atlas of Feline Anatomy For Veterinarians". CRC Press.
  4. (2016). "Aspinall's Complete Textbook of Veterinary Nursing". Elsevier Health Sciences.
  5. (October 20, 2002). "Personality traits in the domestic dog (''Canis familiaris'')". Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
  6. (1999). "The domestic dog : its evolution, behaviour, and interactions with people". Cambridge University Press.
  7. Colorado Parks and Wildlife. (2018-10-15). "Moose Attacks Are Increasing".
  8. (1999). "The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, and Primates". Chelsea Green Publishing.
  9. (2014). "Veterinary Medical Terminology: Guide and Workbook". John Wiley & Sons.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

animal-hairfeathers