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Avileña-Black Iberian -cow- Spain

Avileña-Black Iberian
(most common name in English)

(most common name):
Avileña-Negra Ibérica
(transboundary/brand name):
• Avileña-Negra Ibérica
(local/other name):
• Avileña
• De la Tierra
• Raza Avileña-Negra Iberica
• Serrana
• Vaca Negra

The Avileña-Black Iberian is a recently amalgamated breed that began in 1980. The two breeds combined together were the Avileña (an ancient working beef breed) and the Black Iberian (a closely-related working mountain breed).

These cattle are found in the highlands of Sierra de Gredos, Sierra de Guadarrama, and Picos de Urbion.

In the furthest western part of this area, Avileña cattle were once defined as a separate breed and a herdbook was established in 1970.

The other cattle, collectively known as Black Iberian, encompassed cattle of the highlands extending eastwards from:
Sierra de Gredos (a mountain range in central Spain that spans the provinces of Ávila, Salamanca, Cáceres, Madrid, and Toledo)
• through Sierra de Guadarrama (a mountain range north of Madrid forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central)
• and into the Picos de Urbión (or ‘Urbion Peaks’), a mountain range in the northern part of the Sistema Iberico mountains

This page was last updated on: 2024-08-08


You can also go to:

My Daily Cow® Spain and read about other Spanish cattle breeds.

The Cow Wall® A-Z Cattle Breed Picture Reference to see other breeds of cattle in the world.