Aberdeen Angus, abbreviated Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. They came from native cattle in the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in north-eastern Scotland and were first recorded in the 16th century.


Black Angus is the most common beef breed in the United States with 332,421 animals registered in 2017 due to its intense promotion in the food industry. In 2014, the British Cattle Movement Service called Angus the most popular native beef breed in the UK and the second most popular beef breed in the world.


The native colour is black, but more recently in the middle of the 20th century appeared red specimens. The United Kingdom records both types of specimens in the same genealogy register while in the United States they are considered to be two separate breeds – Red Angus and Black Angus. Although the United Kingdom and Canada unconditionally accept these two strains, the situation in the States is equally unclear, as the red Angus is not very popular.


There are various theories about the differences in performance between the two types of cattle differently pigmented, but none is proven. Here are the main features of the red Angus.


  • Ancestors of the red Angus are dark in colour and came from continental Europe in Scotland and England.
  • Farmers have discovered that the predecessors of the new cattle breed (Angus) did not have the desired resistance to the drought, so they crossed it with the English Longhorns breed, covered in red. The outcome? The first Angus cattle with the red gene.
  • Their pigmented skin helps protect against the strong sun.
  • Around 1917, in the US, it was decided to exclude the red Angus cattle from the official breed register to provide a pure black race. This caused dissatisfaction among farmers who had not seen any difference in performance between red cattle and black cattle. Thus, in 1954 the Red Cattle Registry was reintroduced and an association for this type of breed was officially established.
  • Redness initially occurred at about 25% of the calves. Years ago, breeder Hugh Watson decided that black was the only colour of Angus cattle. However, across Europe this vision has changed, and Red Angus now has the same respect and legitimacy as Black Angus.
  • Red Angus beef is identical to that of the black one.