In American usage, an Easter egger or Easter-egger is any hybrid or mixed-breed chicken resulting from the breeding of a bird carrying the blue egg (oocyan) gene with one that lays brown eggs. Eggs from such a bird may be any shade of blue or brown,[1]: 175 or occasionally pink or pale yellow.[2] These birds do not constitute a breed, and so are not recognized by the American Poultry Association or the American Bantam Association.[2] They may be marketed as "Americana", but are quite different from the Ameraucana, a recognized breed.[2]