Despite the name, it is not from Africa but is of Chinese origin, found in Teochew and Swatow of South China.

[9]: 364 [3] Domestication took place in north Asia, and birds of this type were later brought to Europe, possibly via Madagascar;[10] they were present in Britain before the end of the seventeenth century.

[11]: 353 The brown variety was included in the first edition of the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1874; the white was added in 1987,[5] and the buff in 2018.

[9]: 364  The body is large and is carried at about 35° to the horizontal; the back is long and fairly flat, the breast and belly smooth and rounded.

The neck is long, thick and slightly arched, with a smooth crescent-shaped dewlap hanging below the lower mandible.