# Blue Andalusian

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Blue_Andalusian
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Blue_Andalusian.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Andalusian
> Source revision: 1307565914
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Spanish breed of chicken

Andalusian A hen A cock Conservation status FAO (2007): endangered[1]: 151 DAD-IS (2025): at risk/endangered[2] GEH (2025): category 1, extrem gefährdet[3] RBST (2025): priority[4] Other names Andalusian Andalusian Blue Andaluza Azul Country of origin Spain Distribution Australia Germany Ireland New Zealand Spain United Kingdom United States[5][3] Standard Asociación Española de Criadores de Gallinas de Raza Andaluza Azul (page 6, in Spanish) Traits Weight Male: Standard: 3.2–3.6 kg Bantam: 680–790 g[6]: 36 Female: Standard: 2.25–2.70 kg Bantam: 570–680 g[6]: 36 Egg colour white[7]: 620 Comb type single[7]: 620 Classification APA Mediterranean[8] EE yes[9] PCGB rare soft feather: light[10]

Head of a cock

The **Blue Andalusian**, [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language): **Andaluza Azul**, is a Spanish [breed](/source/List_of_chicken_breeds) of domestic [chicken](/source/Chicken) indigenous to the [autonomous community](/source/Autonomous_communities_of_Spain) of [Andalusia](/source/Andalusia) in south-western Spain. It is distributed through much of the countryside of [Córdoba](/source/C%C3%B3rdoba%2C_Andalusia) and [Seville](/source/Seville), and is concentrated particularly in the area of [Utrera](/source/Utrera), which is considered the heartland of the breed.[7]: 620 In 2009 the total number of the birds in Spain was estimated at 10000.[7]: 621

A very different type of Andalusian, more intensely blue and with blue-laced plumage, was created in England from birds imported from Andalusia through [selective breeding](/source/Selective_breeding) and [cross-breeding](/source/Hybrid_(biology)) with birds of other breeds.[7]: 620

## History

There is little information on the early history of the Andalusian.[11] Blue chickens from Andalusia were imported to England no later than 1851. The creation of the "international" type of Andalusian, with blue-laced plumage, is attributed to the English, whether in Andalusia or in Britain.[11] Two breeders in particular are thought to have started this process, which took many years: one named Coles, from [Fareham](/source/Fareham%2C_Hampshire) in [Hampshire](/source/Hampshire), and a certain John Taylor of [Shepherd's Bush](/source/Shepherd's_Bush) in west London.[12] Andalusians were shown at [Baker Street](/source/Baker_Street) in January 1853;[13] the breed was not included in the original [*Standard of Excellence*](/source/British_Poultry_Standards) of [William Bernhard Tegetmeier](/source/William_Bernhard_Tegetmeier) in 1865.[14]

The birds reached the United States in the 1850s, and were included in the first edition of the *[Standard of Perfection](/source/Standard_of_Perfection)* of the [American Poultry Association](/source/American_Poultry_Association) in 1874.[13] The breed arrived in South America in 1870,[11] and reached Germany in 1872.[3] A [bantam](/source/Bantam_(poultry)) was created in the 1880s by [Augusta Legge](/source/Augusta_Legge), countess of Dartmouth.[6]: 34[15]

The Andaluza Azul was officially recognised by the [Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación](/source/Ministerio_de_Agricultura%2C_Pesca_y_Alimentaci%C3%B3n), the Spanish ministry of agriculture, in 2007.[16]: 4[17] A [breed association](/source/Breed_association) – the Asociación Española de Criadores de Gallinas de Raza Andaluza Azul – was recognised by the [Junta de Andalucía](/source/Junta_de_Andaluc%C3%ADa) in 2015 as the official representative of the breed, and a [breed standard](/source/Breed_standard) and breeding programme were approved in the following year.[16]: 4

The [conservation status](/source/Conservation_status) of the Andalusian was listed by the [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations](/source/Food_and_Agriculture_Organization_of_the_United_Nations) in 2007 as "at risk".[1]: 151 In 2009 the total number of the birds in Spain was estimated at 10000.[7]: 621 In 2025 the world-wide population was estimated to consist of 623 birds in six countries, of which only three reported population data; its conservation status in those countries was "at risk",[5] while in Germany it was in category 1, *extrem gefährdet* ('extremely endangered'), on the [Rote Liste](/source/Rote_Liste) of the [Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen](/source/Gesellschaft_zur_Erhaltung_alter_und_gef%C3%A4hrdeter_Haustierrassen)[3] and in the United Kingdom was listed by the [Rare Breeds Survival Trust](/source/Rare_Breeds_Survival_Trust) as "priority".[4]

## Characteristics

The slate-blue plumage of the Andalusian is caused by a [dilution gene](/source/Dilution_gene), which, in combination with the E gene for black plumage, produces partial dilution of the [melanin](/source/Melanin) which gives the black colour. Not all Andalusians are blue: birds with two copies of the gene have near-total dilution, and are off-white; birds with no copies have no dilution, and are black; those with one copy have partial dilution, and are blue. Blue birds occur, in [Mendelian proportion](/source/Mendelian_ratio), twice as often as each of the other colours. All are present in the population.[11]

The earlobes of the Andalusian are smooth, white, and almond-shaped; the crest is single and of medium size, with five well-defined points. The skin is white and the legs and feet are black.[7]: 621[11]

## Use

Andaluza Azul hens lay about 165 white eggs per year; eggs weigh 70–80 g. Blue-bred white hens lay the largest eggs.[7]: 620

## References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Andalusian (chicken)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Andalusian_(chicken)).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-barb_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-barb_1-1) Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources](https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf), annex to: [*The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture*](https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf). Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789251057629](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789251057629). Archived 23 June 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-dad_2-0)** [Breed data sheet: Andaluza Azul / Spain (Chicken)](https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=ESP&specie=Chicken&breed=Andaluza%20Azul&external=1&lang=en). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-geh_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-geh_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-geh_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-geh_3-3) [Andalusier](https://web.archive.org/web/20250619215230/https://www.g-e-h.de/rassebeschreibungen/55-gefluegelhuhn/501-andalusier) (in German). Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen. Archived 19 June 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-rbst_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-rbst_4-1) [Andalusian](https://web.archive.org/web/20250716112853/https://www.rbst.org.uk/andalusian). Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 16 July 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-dad2_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-dad2_5-1) [Transboundary breed: Andalusian](https://dadis-transboundary-breed-ws.web.app/?species=Chicken&transboundary=Andalusian&external=1&lang=en). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-roberts_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-roberts_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-roberts_6-2) Victoria Roberts (2008). [*British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain*](https://books.google.it/books?id=nAfyUHY42u0C&hl=en). Oxford: Blackwell. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781405156424](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781405156424).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-guia_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-guia_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-guia_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-guia_7-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-guia_7-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-guia_7-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-guia_7-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-guia_7-7) Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). *Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas* (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9788449109461](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9788449109461).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-apa_8-0)** [APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012](https://web.archive.org/web/20171104135004/http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/PDF%20Forms/APA%20Recognized%20Breeds%20and%20Varieties%20Sept2012.pdf). American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ee_9-0)** [Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130616062803/http://www.entente-ee.com/deutsch/sparten/gefluegel/dateien/2013/Verzeichnis%20R%20F%2028042013.xls). Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-pcgb_10-0)** [Breed Classification](https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143235/http://www.poultryclub.org/img/Breed%20Classification.pdf). Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pinan_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pinan_11-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-pinan_11-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-pinan_11-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-pinan_11-4) Fernando Orozco Piñán (1986). [La raza "Andaluza Azul"](http://ddd.uab.cat/pub/selavi/selavi_a1986m5v28n5/selavi_a1986m5v28n5p145.pdf) (in Spanish). *Selecciones avícolas* **28** (5): 145-149.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-pcgb2_12-0)** [Chickens](https://web.archive.org/web/20181109100645/https://www.poultryclub.org/breed-gallery/chickens/). Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 9 November 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-tlc_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-tlc_13-1) [Andalusian Chicken](http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/andalusian). The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed August 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-teget_14-0)** William Bernhard Tegetmeier (editor) (1865). [*The Standard of Excellence in Exhibition Poultry, authorized by the Poultry Club*](https://books.google.it/books?id=Qz1FAAAAYAAJ&hl=en). London: Poultry Club. p. 17–19

1. **[^](#cite_ref-dnb_15-0)** K.D. Reynolds (2004). [Legge \[née Finch](https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-58519), Augusta, countess of Dartmouth]. *Oxford Dictionary of National Biography* (online edition). Oxford University Press. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/ref:odnb/58519](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F58519). (subscription required).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ass_16-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ass_16-1) [Programa de Cría de la Raza Aviar Andaluza Azul](https://web.archive.org/web/20250716100103/https://www.mapa.gob.es/dam/mapa/contenido/ganaderia/temas/zootecnia/arca/razas/catalogo/raza-autoctona-en-peligro-de-extincion/aviar/andaluza-azul/documentacion/pc_final_andazulanexoresol260320.pdf) (in Spanish). Asociación Española de Criadores de Gallinas de Raza Andaluza Azul. Archived 16 July 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-boe_17-0)** Elena Espinosa Mangana (17 January 2007). [1471 ORDEN APA/53/2007, de 17 de enero, por la que se modifica el Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España, contenido en el anexo del Real Decreto 1682/1997, de 7 de noviembre, por el que se actualiza el Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España](https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2007/01/24/pdfs/A03297-03301.pdf) (in Spanish). *Boletín Oficial del Estado*. **21** (24 enero 2007): 3297.

v t e Chicken breeds of Spain Blue Andalusian (Andaluza Azul) White-faced Black Spanish (Cara Blanca) Castellana Negra Catalana Combatiente Español Empordanesa Enana Flor d’Ametller Euskal Oiloa Extremeña Azul Galiña de Mos Gallina del Sobrarbe Gallina Ibicenca Indio de León Mallorquina Minorca (Menorquina) Murciana Pardo de León Pedresa Penedesenca Pintarazada Pita Pinta Pitiüsa Utrerana Valenciana de Chulilla See also: List of chicken breeds

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Blue Andalusian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Andalusian) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Andalusian?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.