The White-Faced Black Spanish is a Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

 of chicken

Chicken

The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

. They are thought to be the oldest breed of fowl in the Mediterranean class. The British have records dating back to 1572 referring to this chicken. This breed was admitted into the American Poultry Association

American Poultry Association

The American Poultry Association is the oldest poultry organization in the North America. Founded in 1873, and incorporated in Indiana in 1932 The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in response to the burgeoning need for an overseeing body to set standards...

 in 1874. This breed originated in Spain, and came to the Americas through the Caribbean Islands.

Nicknames of this breed include "Clown Chickens," but they were also called, "The Fowls of Seville." They were very popular in the South during Colonial times.

Characteristics

The have glossey black plumage, weigh 6-7 pounds, and are closely related to the Minorca

Minorca (chicken)

The Minorca is a breed of chicken originating in Spain. They are classified in the Mediterranean class by the American Poultry Association. They lay white eggs. Color varieties include buff, black, white with the British recognizing a blue phase. Minorcas mature quickly and begin crowing sooner...

 and Castilian breeds. Their most distinguishing feature are their white, low hanging ear lobes, which are actually overdeveloped. They have a single comb, four toes, and no crest. Hens are non-setters that lay eggs that are large, and chalk white in color, with an average of three a week, 150-180 eggs a year.