The phrase "goose bumps" (though other poultry have been used in non-English countries) derives from the phenomenon's association with bird skin. Bird feathers grow from stores in the epidermis, resembling human hair follicles. When the feathers are plucked, its skin has protrusions where the feathers were, which in turn look and feel similar to the human phenomenon. Essentially the phrase came from the appearance and feeling being similar to bare bird skin.