Chicken-Like Birds: Galliformes

The chicken-like birds eat nuts, seeds, and parts of plants. Their large feet help them move branches and stones to discover food other animals could not access. Chicks eat insects and larvae (LAR-vee; immature stage for some insects) during their first few weeks of life.

Galliformes regularly swallow small stones to help the digestive process. The rocks help break down nuts and seed coverings as well as the tough fibers that make up green vegetation. These birds don't drink much water, but a few species visit salt licks, where they eat clay soil that gives them required minerals.