| Conservation status | not at risk |
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| Country of origin | Italy |
| Distribution | most ofSicily |
| Use | Triple-purpose, primarily for milk |
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| Wool colour | usually white |
| Face colour | white, often with black mottling or patches |
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ThePinzirita orPinzunita is abreed of domesticsheep indigenous to the Mediterranean island ofSicily, Italy.[1][2] Its name derives frompinzuni, the Sicilian language name for thechaffinch,Fringilla coelebs, which it is thought to resemble in colouring. It is also known as theSiciliana comune, or "common Sicilian sheep". It is distributed throughout most of Sicily, except for the southern coast, where theComisana is preferred, and the hills of theprovinces ofAgrigento,Caltanissetta and the southern part of theprovince of Palermo, where theBarbaresca is predominant. Like theLeccese andAltamurana, it belongs to theZackel sheep group. It is a hardy and frugal breed, well adapted to survival on poor mountain pasture and in themacchia mediterraneabiome of inland Sicily.[2]
The Pinzirita is one of the seventeenautochthonous Italian sheep breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by theAssociazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.[3] Total numbers for the breed were estimated at250000 pure-bred animals in 1983;[2] in 2013 the number recorded in the herdbook was17482.[4]
The milk yield of the Pinzirita averages80±25 litres in 100 days forprimiparous ewes, and about130±30 litres in 180 days forpluriparous ones.[3] The milk has 6.4% fat and 5.0% protein. Lambs are usually slaughtered unweaned; at 30 days they weigh7–8 kg. Rams yield about2.5 kg of wool, ewes about1.6 kg; the wool is of ordinary quality, suitable for rugs and mattresses.[2]