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Characteristics

Colour: Slate-blue with narrow dark blue lacing on each feather.

This ornamental bird was developed in Andalusia, and further developed in the British Isles and the USA. The modern blue Andalusian is a result of crossing black and white birds imported from Andalusia, Spain, in 1846. Crossing two blue birds will result in 25 percent black and 25 percent white, with the remaining 50 percent of the clutch blue. The Andalusian is therefore only bred by enthusiasts with an interest in preserving the breed. The development of the breed as we know it today is credited to the English, but whether this was achieved in Andalusia or in England is not known. A number of people have nailed their names to the mast including John Taylor of Shepherds Bush, London and the Duchess of Dartmouth.

The Andalusian has a magnificent presence, being both elegant and graceful (the reasons most people give for keeping them). It is also an extremely fast runner (the breed society suggests anyone wishing to keep the birds should invest in a landing net). One bird will lay around 160 creamy white eggs a year.

Originally from Andalusia in Spain the breed is now found throughout Europe, the British Isles, the USA, Canada and Australia.