Poultry are
domesticated birds kept by humans for the
eggs they produce, their
meat, their
feathers, or sometimes as pets. These birds are most typically members of the
superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order
Galliformes (which includes
chickens,
quails and
turkeys) and the family
Anatidae, in order
Anseriformes, commonly known as "
waterfowl" and including
domestic ducks and
domestic geese. Poultry also includes other birds that are killed for their meat, such as the young of
pigeons (known as
squabs) but does not include similar wild birds hunted for sport or food and known as
game. The word "poultry" comes from the French/Norman word
poule, itself derived from the Latin word
pullus, which means small animal.