Origin: Vienna, probably introduced from the Orient, it has been known and bred in Vienna since the 16th century, since ca. 1900 bred as an exhibition bird.

Appearance: Narrow, holds itself erect, back and tail sloping downwards at an angle; very cheerful temperament.

Head: Longish, narrow, fiat forehead, rising to top skull at a shallow angle then falling away sharply and at a right angle at the back skull; sloping forehead 35 to 38 degree angle.

Beak: Straight set, axis parallel to line under eye; rather long (17 mm), thin, delicate, somewhat pulled in; color is black, in red and yellow varieties rose colored (flesh colored); wattles soft.

Eyes: Large, near the top of the skull and near the beak; color pearl white (milk white with light blue streaks); pupil small; cere delicate and smooth, two-ringed, plum blue to blue black, in red and yellow colored varieties reddish (flesh colored).

Neck: Long, thin, carried straight and out­stretched; nicely cut-out throat.

Breast: Narrow and proportionally carried low.

Back: Long, narrow, falling away.

Wings: Butts of wings carried outward; long, almost reaching end of tail, lying on top of the tail.

Tail: Fairly long, thin, follows line of back without touching the ground.

Legs: Long, thin, narrow, stand close together; no muffs except the light storked and stock blue color varieties may have muffed or stocking feet; color of toenails same as color of beak.

Colors: Stock blue; blue check; violet and green dark storked (dunkelgestorchte); light storked (hellgestorchte); black, red, and yellow storked; kiebitz in black, blue, red, and yellow; rosewing (roserlschecken) in black, red, and yellow; grizzled (schimmel) in black, blue, red, and yellow; tigers (untrimmed colored storks, kiebitz, and gedachelte) in black, blue, red, and yellow; self in black, silver, dun, red, and yellow, non classified colors or A.O.C.

Color Varieties:
Blue: Basic ground color is blue; head dark blue, wings clear blue with narrow black bars, transverse dark bar at end of tail; color of neck beetle green; (in hens a darker wing color is accepted).
Faults: Copper sheen on the neck, light head, light back, light breast, rusty color, too large of bars on wings.
Blue Check: Same of the stock blue with the wing shield being checked; light, medium, or t-pattern checked.
Faults: Same as the stock blues.
Violet Dark Storked: Head, ears, and beard black blue with a rosy violet sheen; from beard to beginning of breast violet colored with very delicate white sprinkles; breast, belly, and thighs clear white, not filthy grey; wings blue grey with lighter veining and narrow black bars; tail dark blue, black transverse bar at the end; on upper black white feathers arranged in a heart-shaped pattern; beginning of neck has a violet sheen.
Faults: White or black checkered wings.

Green Dark Storked: Same description as the Violet Dark Storked but with a green sheen where there is a violet sheen.
Light Storked: Basic color is white; flights and tip of tail blue-grey mottled (storked); also may have plain white tail.
Faults: Traces of wing bars; colored feathers on head or neck; white flights; colored feathere in white tail; colored feathers in the muffs.
Black, Red, and Yellow Storked (Colored Storks): Basic color is white; head, ears, beard, flights (7-10 primaries) and tail fully colored.
Faults: Colored feathers in the breast or thighs; dull colors. An untrimmed colored stork would be considered a tiger/splash.
Kiebitz: Underside from middle of front of neck over breast, belly, thighs, and fluff plain white; rest of body colored; the pattern must be sharply cut off at neck and butt of wings (1/2 inch either way), so breast, belly, and thighs are pure white.
Faults: Irregular pattern; colored feathers on breast and thighs; light beak in black or blue Kiebitz, dark beak in red or yellow.
Gedachelte: Head, ears, beard, wings and tail colored, other plumage (neck, breast, belly, thighs, fluff and back) white.
NOTE: In America this is the same exact color pattern as the GAZZI as in Modena.
Faults: Irregular pattern; white feathers where plumage should be colored, colored feathers where plumage should be white; dull colors.
Rosewing: Self colored with small white heart-shaped are on beginning of back and several small white feathers (Roserl) on shoulders and wings. Also, the small white heart-shaped area on the back may be absent, this variety is called "Achselschecken" (checked on shoulder).
Faults: Dull colors; bad pattern.
Schimmel: Known to Americans as grizzles. The most common schimmels are the blues and blacks; the blue schimmels are produced from matings of a stock blue to a hellgestorchte; the color desired in the blue schimmels are head, body and wings an even peppery combination of white with blue, neither color predominating. The neck presenting a frost-like appearance; flights and tail of a darker hue; beak, cere, eyes and bar as in the stock blues. The black schimmels are produced by mating stock blue to a black kiebitz; the color is black except for a blue-grey grizzled breast and thighs; some white feathers will appear in the neck area from time to time.
Tigers: These colors will appear as splashes; untrimmed colored storks, kiebitz and gedacheltes appear as tigers; overmarked or undermarked kiebitz will appear as tigers (overmarked is when a bird has too much color, undermarked is when the bird has too much white).
NOTE: All two colored Viennas must be trimmed for the show pen, if one color is predominate, then the trimming will leave gaps in the feathers, thus this bird could be put in the tiger class.
Self: One color on the entire bird. Blacks - solid and deep in color, showing a green sheen, beak and toe nails black; eye cere dark as possible. Reds - rich dark red color, with a pinkish sheen, beak and toe nails flesh color; eye cere flesh color. Yellows rich golden colored with a pinkish sheen; beak and toe nails flesh color; eye cere flesh color. Silver - head, wings and body including rump and even shade of light silvery grey. Two well defined wing bars and the tail a dark dun bar. Beak and toe nails horn color. Dun - a clear dun color. Beak, cere and toe nails horn color.
N.C.C. or A.O.C.: Non-classified colors and any other color classes were designed for any new developed colors such as ash red bar, mealies, ash red spread, dominant opal, reduced, gansel, and indigo bar or spread.

Areas to be Evaluated and Rated: Overall impression - Head form - Beak setting (angle) - Figure - Stance - Neck configuration - Color and color pattern.