Gyr cattle

{{short description|Indian breed of zebuine dairy cattle}} {{redirect|Gir cattle|the bird|Gyrfalcon}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}} {{Infobox cattle breed | name = Gir | image = Gir bull 2.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = a red-mottled white bull with very long drooping ears | image_caption = Bull at Bhavnagar | status = FAO (2007): not at risk{{r|barb|page=144}} | altname = {{ubl|Bhodali|Desan|Gujarati|Kathiawari|Sorthi|Surti{{r|cabi|page=187}}}} | country = India | distribution = {{ubl|Gujarat, India|Brazil}} | standard = | use = dairy | weight = | maleweight = | femaleweight = | height = | maleheight = | femaleheight = | skincolour = | coat = | horn = | subspecies = indicus | note = }} thumb|Cow thumb|Gyr cattle in Brazil The '''Gir''' is an Indian breed of zebuine cattle. It originated in the Kathiawar peninsula in the state of Gujarat, and the name of the breed derives from that of the Gir Hills in that region.{{r|cabi|p=187}} Other names include '''Bhodah''', '''Desan''', '''Gujarati''', '''Kathiawari''', '''Sorthi''' and '''Surti'''.{{r|cabi|p=187}}

These cattle were exported to Brazil from the early twentieth century, and the Brazilian Gir numbers about five million head; selective breeding since the 1960s has led to the development of separate dairy (Gir Leiteiro) and beef strains.{{r|cabi|p=187}}

== History ==

The Gir originated in the Kathiawar peninsula in the state of Gujarat the name of the breed derives from that of the Gir Hills in that region.{{r|cabi|p=187}} Its traditional breeding range extended into the Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Rajkot districts of the state. It was known by a number of different names, among them 'Bhodah', 'Desan', 'Gujarati', 'Kathiawari', 'Sorthi' and 'Surti'.{{r|cabi|p=187}}

It has been used locally in the improvement of other breeds including the Red Sindhi and the Sahiwal. It was also one of the breeds used in the development of the Brahman breed in North America. In Brazil and other South American countries the Gir is used frequently because, as a ''Bos indicus'' breed, it is resistant to hot temperatures and tropical diseases. It is well known for its milk producing qualities and is often bred with Friesian cows to make the Girolando breed.

== Characteristics ==

The Gir is distinctive in appearance, typically having a rounded and domed forehead (being the only ultraconvex breed in the world), long pendulous ears and horns which spiral out and back. Gir are generally mottled with the colour ranging from red through yellow to white, black being the only unacceptable colour. They originated in west India in the state of Gujarat and have since spread to neighbouring Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Cows average {{val|385|u=kg}} in weight and {{val|130|u=cm}} in height; bulls weigh {{val|545|u=kg}} on average, with a height of {{val|140|u=cm}}.{{r|felius}} At birth, calves weigh about {{val|20|u=kg}}.{{r|felius}}

In India in 2000 the Gir numbered about {{val|917000}}, or 37% of the 2.5 million cattle population of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.{{r|cabi|p=187|agr}} In 2010 the population in Brazil was estimated at approximately five million.{{r|toi}}

== Use ==

The average milk yield for the Gir in India is {{val|2110|u=kg}} per lactation, with approximately {{val|4.5|u=%}} fat.{{r|cabi|p=187}}

== References == {{commonscat}} {{Reflist|45em|refs=

<ref name=agr>G.K. Gaur, S.N. Kaushik, R.C. Garg (April 2003). [https://web.archive.org/web/20190421211506/http://www.fao.org/3/y4924t/y4924t07.htm The Gir cattle breed of India - characteristics and present status]. ''Animal Genetic Resources''/''Resources génétiques animales''/''Recursos genéticos animales'' '''33''': 21–29. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{doi|10.1017/S1014233900001607}}. Archived 21 April 2019.</ref>

<ref name=barb>Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [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 List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn|9789251057629}}. Archived 23 June 2020.</ref>

<ref name=cabi>Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). [https://books.google.it/books?id=2UEJDAAAQBAJ&hl=en ''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''] (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{ISBN|9781780647944}}.</ref>

<ref name=felius>Marleen Felius (1995). [https://books.google.it/books?id=iXImAQAAMAAJ&hl=en ''Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia'']. Doetinchem, Netherlands: Misset. {{ISBN|9789054390176}}.</ref>

<ref name=toi>Vijaysinh Parmar (27 September 2010). [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/Holy-cow-Gir-gai-goes-global-via-Brazil/articleshow/6633109.cms Holy cow! Gir gai goes global via Brazil]. ''Times of India'': Rajkot News. Accessed April 2019.</ref>

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{{Cattle breeds of India}} Category:Dairy cattle breeds Category:Cattle breeds originating in India Category:Animal husbandry in Gujarat