Bergische Kräher
The is a German breed of domestic chicken from the Bergisches Land, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. It is named for its unusually long crow, up to five times as long as that of other breeds, and belongs to the group of long-crowing chicken breeds, which are found from south-east Europe to the Far East. History The Bergische Kräher has been bred in the Bergisches Land for hundreds of years, and there are various myths about its origins. It was probably brought there from south-east Europe or the Middle East at the time of the Crusades, and may have been spread through the area by Cistercian monks. It is closely related to the Bergische Schlotterkamm. Crowing contests were held for the birds, and they were selectively bred for their crowing ability. A breed association, the Kräherzüchtervereinigung, was founded in 1884, and the first breed standard dates from 1885. Today the Bergische Kräher is a rare breed. In 2001 it was an "endangered breed of the year" of the Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen, and is listed in category I: , "extremely endangered", on the Rote Liste of that organisation. In 2009, 77 cocks and