Norfolk Black

About the Norfolk Black

The defining variety of the breed: plumage is a dense, matt-to-lustrous black throughout, often carrying a green sheen in good light, with black legs, feet and toenails that fade to pink with age. The breed standard accepts only solid black — any other feather colour is a defect, though poults frequently show white or bronze early feathers that moult out as the adult black comes in. This colour, derived from black turkeys brought from Spain (hence the alternate names Black Spanish / Black turkey), made it East Anglia's traditional Christmas bird; it remains a slow-maturing, deep-flavoured heritage rarity on the RBST watchlist.