Picture a Highland cow and you probably picture ginger: a fluffy, rusty red coat and a mop of hair over the eyes. That is the classic look, but it is far from the only one. Highlands come in a whole palette of colors, and a single herd can look like a box of crayons.
Highland cows come in seven recognized colors: red, black, dun, yellow, silver, white and brindle. Reddish brown is the most common, at around 60 percent of the breed, and yellow is next at roughly 22 percent. Calves are not always born the color they will be as adults, and brindle stripes do not show up at birth at all.
The 7 Highland Cow Colors
The American Highland Cattle Association recognizes all of these for registration:
| Color | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Red | The famous ginger to deep rusty red. The most common color. |
| Yellow | A lighter red, from golden to strawberry blonde. |
| Black | Solid black, sometimes sun-bleached to a brownish tip in summer. |
| Dun | A softened, diluted black that reads as smoky brown or mousy gray. |
| Silver | A pale, silvery gray. Silver cattle usually have a gray nose. |
| White | Creamy to almost pure white, usually with a pinker nose than silver. |
| Brindle | Darker stripes over a lighter base, a bit like a tiger. |
What Is The Most Common Highland Cow Color?
Red. Reddish brown Highlands make up around 60 percent of the breed, and yellow cattle add roughly another 22 percent. The rest are black, dun, silver, white or brindle. Historically, though, black was much more common, especially in the smaller island cattle of western Scotland. Breeders in the 1800s and 1900s favored red and yellow, and today the ginger look is what most people think of.
Why Are So Many Highland Cows Ginger?
Partly genetics and partly fashion. Coat color in Highlands comes mainly from two genes. One (called the E locus) decides whether a cow is based on black or red pigment. The other (the D locus) can dilute that color, turning black into dun or silver and red into yellow or white. Once breeders started choosing red cattle, the red version of the gene spread through the breed, and the shaggy ginger cow became an icon.
How Do Highlands Get Dun, Silver And White?
Those are dilution colors. A Highland with one copy of the dilution gene is a lighter version of its base color, and one with two copies is lighter still. That is why two dark parents can sometimes have a surprisingly pale calf, and why some cows have calves in a different color with every bull.
Silver and white can be hard to tell apart. Look at the nose, tongue and hooves. Silver cattle should have a gray nose, while white cattle usually have a pinker one.
Do Highland Calves Change Color?
Often, yes. Calves are not always born in the exact shade they will have as adults, and the fuzzy baby coat can look lighter or darker than the adult coat that grows in. Brindle is the strangest of all: brindle stripes are not present at birth and only show up later. Sun, diet, health and even the season can shift the shade a little too, so most breeders do not judge a Highland's color until it is 2 or 3 years old.
Are Some Colors Rarer Or More Expensive?
White, silver, dun and brindle are less common than red, and breeders often charge more for unusual colors, especially in mini Highlands. Color has nothing to do with temperament or health, though. A red Highland and a white one are the same gentle breed. Learn more about pricing in how much a mini Highland cow costs.
What About Pink Highland Cows?
The pink Highland cows you see on plush toys and party decor are just for fun. Real Highlands do not come in pink, though a very pale yellow or white calf in the evening light can come close.
Name Ideas By Color
A cow's coat is the easiest place to start when you are naming one. Ginger, Rusty and Penny for red, Pearl and Ivory for white, Smokey and Ash for dun or silver, Midnight and Onyx for black, and Tiger or Bramble for brindle. Find hundreds more in our Highland cow names list.
See The Colors In Person
Our mini Highland herd at Mini Moo Land includes ginger, cream, gray and darker calves, all born this fall. Come see which color is your favorite, then pet, hand-feed and cuddle them under the oaks.
Make It A Boggy Creek Day
Mini Moo Land is one stop inside Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures, a Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice park with more than 9,000 reviews. After you meet the herd, the rest of the park is right there:
- Ride an airboat through the headwaters of the Everglades and look for wild alligators, bald eagles and wading birds. Choose a 30-minute or one-hour tour, a sunset tour, or a night tour that guarantees gators.
- Dig for gems at the 70-foot Prospector Gem Mine, where kids sift for semi-precious stones, fossils and crystals.
- Walk through Lily's Butterfly Garden and its native butterflies and plants.
- Visit the Gator Pond.
- Eat lakeside at Boggy Bottom BBQ.
The easiest way to do it all is the 1-hour airboat ride and Mini Moo Land combo, which costs $10 less than booking both separately.
