A legal debate in Gujarat High Court has sparked controversy over whether a chicken is an animal or a bird. While science confirms that chickens belong to the animal kingdom under ‘Animalia’ and are classified as birds under ‘Aves,’ legal definitions differ. The court questioned this classification after a petition sought a ban on chicken slaughter in shops. A government lawyer clarified that under food safety laws, “a chicken is considered an animal, not a bird.” This debate has now gone viral, leaving people divided on the true identity of a chicken!
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Ahmedabad: The old argument about whether the chicken or the egg came first may never have a clear answer. But now, a new question is making people think-
“Is a chicken an animal or a bird?”
This discussion started on social media and has now even reached the courts.
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A case filed in the Gujarat High Court has started this debate. The case asks if chickens should be legally called animals. Many people believe that because chickens have wings, they should be called birds. But the main reason behind this court case is much deeper.
In 2023, two organizations—Animal Welfare Foundation and Ahimsa Mahasangh—went to the High Court and asked for a ban on killing chickens in shops. When the Gujarat High Court asked whether a chicken is an animal, the petitioners pointed to Section 2(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
This law defines an animal as “any living creature other than human beings.”
The petitioners also referred to another law—the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. This law does not allow live animals to be kept inside meat shops.
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A group of two judges, Justices NV Anjaria and Niral Mehta, held multiple hearings. They asked the government for a clear answer—“Is a chicken an animal or a bird?”
A government lawyer, Manisha Lovekumar, replied to the court. She explained that, under Food and Safety Standards, a chicken is considered an animal, not a bird. However, she also clarified that fish are not counted in this category.
What Does Science Say?
From a scientific perspective, a chicken is both an animal and a bird. Chickens belong to the group called ‘Animalia’, which includes all living things except plants, fungi, and tiny organisms like bacteria. This means that chickens are surely animals.
At the same time, science also puts chickens in another group called ‘Aves’. This category includes all birds that have wings and lay eggs. Because of this, chickens are also birds. In simple words, a chicken is a type of animal.
The facts make it clear that a chicken is, first of all, an animal. Its main classification is in the animal kingdom, and the ‘Aves’ group is just a smaller category within this kingdom.
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