Parts of a Chicken Head – Comb, Wattles, Earlobes, Beak

All 11 parts on the diagram

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The head 7

Comb A fleshy crest on top of the head, larger on a rooster.
Beak The hard, pointed bill. The nostrils are on its upper part.
Nostril One of two breathing holes on the upper beak.
Eye One on each side of the head.
Ear An opening with no outer flap, covered by small feathers.
Earlobe Bare skin below the ear. It is red or white.
Wattles Two fleshy flaps hanging under the beak.

Kinds of comb 4

Single comb One upright blade with points, from the beak to the back.
Rose comb Low, broad and bumpy, with a spike pointing backward.
Pea comb Also called a triple comb: like three small single combs together.
Walnut comb A low, rounded comb, shaped like half a walnut.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two of these use it: (1) Dr. Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky, External anatomy of chickens, and her pages on the genetics of comb type, hearing and smell, on the Cooperative Extension poultry site, https://poultry.extension.org/articles/poultry-anatomy/external-anatomy-of-chickens/ and https://poultry.extension.org/articles/poultry-anatomy/poultry-genetics-an-introduction/ (comb, beak, wattles, ears, earlobes, eyes; the ear an opening covered by feathers; the earlobe below the ear, red or white; nostrils; rose comb, pea comb, walnut comb, single comb); (2) Wikipedia, text only: Chicken, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken (the comb, a fleshy crest, and the wattles, flaps of skin under the beak, both more prominent in males); Comb (anatomy), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comb_(anatomy) (the single comb with its points, the rose comb with its spike, the pea or triple comb, the walnut or strawberry comb; wattles and earlobes); Glossary of bird terms, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_bird_terms (the nares or nostrils on the beak; the ear opening covered by feathers, with no external features). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no photograph or plate followed. Licence: own work

How it works

A chicken's head carries a comb on top, a beak with two nostrils, an eye and an ear on each side, an earlobe below each ear, and two wattles under the beak. The second drawing shows four kinds of comb.

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The head, then four combs

Numbers 1 to 7 are on the head from the side: the comb, the beak, the nostril, the eye, the ear, the earlobe just below it and the wattles. Numbers 8 to 11 are four small heads, each with a different comb: single, rose, pea and walnut.

The ear is not a flap. Look for a small round tuft of feathers behind the face.
A rose comb is the one with a spike at the back.

Questions and answers

What is the red thing on a chicken's head?

The comb, a fleshy crest on top of the head. The red flaps that hang under the beak are the wattles. Hens and roosters have both, and a rooster's are larger.

What are the parts of a rooster head?

The same as a hen's: comb, beak, nostrils, eyes, ears, earlobes and wattles. On a rooster the comb and the wattles are larger.

Do chickens have ears?

Yes, one on each side of the head. A chicken's ear has no outer flap. It is an opening covered by a tuft of small feathers. The earlobe is the patch of bare skin just below it.

What are the types of chicken comb?

Four common ones are single, rose, pea and walnut. A single comb is an upright blade with points. A rose comb is low and bumpy with a spike at the back. There are several more kinds.