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Holstein Friesian
Look for large, irregular black-and-white patches on a tall dairy frame. Holsteins can also be red-and-white, and the white areas usually form broad shapes rather than small flecks. If the whole herd is in view, look at the range of markings before relying on one animal’s color.
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Hereford cattle
Start with the white face against a red body. White commonly continues onto the throat, underside, and lower legs. Both horned and polled Herefords occur, so those patches give you more to work with than the presence or absence of horns.
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Belted Galloway
Look for a broad white belt running all the way around the middle, between the forelegs and hind legs. The head and rump can be black, red, or dun. Add the shaggy coat and a naturally hornless head to the belt if the cow is close enough to see clearly.
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Highland cattle
The Highland’s forehead fringe can fall over its eyes, especially when the coat is long. Paired with wide-set horns, the fringe is a better clue than the familiar reddish coat. Highlands can also be black, yellow, dun, brindle, silver, or white.
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Texas Longhorn
The Texas Longhorn’s long horns usually spread out well beyond the head. They may curve or twist at the tips, and coat patterns vary widely. Start with the span, then check the horn angle if you’re comparing it with an English Longhorn.
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English Longhorn
The English Longhorn has a different silhouette from its Texas namesake. Its long horns typically sweep down as well as out, and a white line often runs along the back on a brindled or roan coat. In a side view, the horn direction is often the first clue.
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Aberdeen Angus
A typical black Aberdeen Angus has a plain dark coat and a naturally hornless head. If the cow has a white face or a white band, look at the rest of the herd before calling it Angus. Coat color alone is a weak clue when several solid-black breeds or crosses graze together.
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Jersey cattle
A Jersey often has a fawn coat, a dark muzzle with a pale ring, and a relatively small dairy frame. Look for the muzzle and the build together, since Jersey coats can range from pale tan to very dark. A small tan cow with extensive white patches could call for a closer comparison with Guernsey.
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Guernsey cattle
Start with a warm fawn or reddish-fawn coat, then look for white on the legs and underside or in larger patches up the sides. The cow’s angular dairy frame is the other clue. A Jersey can also be fawn, so check how much white you can see and whether the muzzle has a dark center.
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Brown Swiss cattle
A Brown Swiss can look smoky gray, tan, or dark brown. Find the dark muzzle first and look for darker hooves and a dark tail switch. Those points are more useful than expecting every animal in the herd to be the same shade of brown.
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Charolais cattle
A Charolais often presents as a broad, muscular animal with a cream or white coat. From a distance, the mass through the shoulder and hindquarters helps distinguish it from a pale dairy cow. Horns vary within the breed, so rely on the body and color together.
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Shorthorn
The most revealing Shorthorn coat to learn is roan. Red-and-white hairs mingle across the body, giving a soft, blended look from a distance. The breed can also be red or white, so a mixed herd with several of those coats offers more clues than a single white animal.
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Jacob sheep
Start with a broken pattern of dark patches on white fleece, then look up at the horns. Jacob sheep may carry two or four, including ewes. A sheep with two horns can still be a Jacob, especially if its bold patches are visible across the field.
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Herdwick
A mature Herdwick often has a pale face and a gray fleece, while young lambs may look almost black. On a Lake District hillside that contrast can make one flock appear to contain more than one breed. Take a second look at the older animals before deciding.
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Suffolk sheep
Look for a long, black face and black legs against white fleece. The dark ears and most of the face are free of wool, which gives a Suffolk a cleaner outline around the eyes than a Hampshire Down. You can often see the difference from a field edge.
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Hampshire Down
The Hampshire Down has a dark face, but pale wool extends down over the forehead and around the eyes. That wool cap is the feature to learn. A Suffolk beside it can share the dark face and white body while leaving more of the head uncovered.
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Swaledale sheep
A Swaledale often has pale markings around the eyes and muzzle on an otherwise dark face. The curved horns and coarse, off-white fleece complete the picture. Look for the pale muzzle first if you’re comparing it with other dark-faced hill sheep.
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Scottish Blackface
The Scottish Blackface combines long white wool with a black or black-and-white face and legs. Both sexes carry horns. When the face pattern looks a lot like a Swaledale’s, use the overall markings and horns together, and leave room for variation.
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Texel sheep
The Texel’s white head is broad, with a conspicuous dark nose and little wool on the face. That head sits above a distinctly broad, muscular body. The combination helps when several white-faced breeds are grazing in the same field.
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Cheviot sheep
A Cheviot often carries its white head high, with the ears standing upright and forward. The face is clear of wool in front of the ears. The alert outline is visible from farther away than the dark nose, so use the ears as your first cue.
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Southdown sheep
A Southdown often looks compact and low-slung. Look for the muted gray-brown coloring on the face and legs under the close fleece. The softer shade and short outline help separate it from the tall, sharply black-faced Suffolk.
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