The chicken breed named after Livorno, the Italian city known in English as Leghorn, is the Leghorn.
Leghorn chickens originated in Tuscany, Italy, and were exported to North America during the nineteenth century. Their English breed name comes from the traditional English name for the port city of Livorno. From the United States and Britain, Leghorns later spread widely through commercial poultry breeding.
Leghorns are especially famous for egg production. White Leghorns became important in industrial laying systems because they mature relatively early, consume comparatively little feed, and produce many white-shelled eggs. They are light-bodied birds, so they are generally less important as meat chickens than dual-purpose breeds.
The breed includes several recognized colour varieties, including white, brown, black, buff, and silver. A common mix-up is assuming that every white egg comes from a White Leghorn; many other breeds and commercial hybrids can also lay white eggs.