The Pigeoncote Standards

The Indian Fantail Standard:

The judging of the Indian Fantail is divided into six main areas as follows: stance, tail, body, condition, color and markings. The allocation of points total 100 and describes the ideal toward which we are striving. Balance is of primary importance, with the dominating factor to be an all-balanced bird. A breakout of points and detailed description of each area follows:

I. Stance (15 pts.): Proper stance reflects a harmonious blending of all parts, providing balance and a natural stylishness. The carriage of the head and neck should be such that they are perpendicular to the ground with the eyes directly above the tips of the toes when the bird stations itself. The tail should be carried upright at a slight angle or tilt away form its feet, not on the tip of its toes. Body carriage should give the impression of levelness. As a guide the angle of the body should be 20 degrees up from horizontal. Faults: Carrying breast too high; head carried back too far; tail carried too nearly parallel to the ground or tipped too far forward; shaing of neck.
II. Tail (30 pts.): The tail should be large, full, round, held upright and cover from 3/4 to 7/8 of a complete circle. Tail feathers should reach 1% to 2 inches above the top of the head. The tail should not be perfectly flat, but saucer shaped. A double layer of tail feathers is to be preferred. Faults: Cone-shaped or scopp tail; feathers making less than 3/4 or a complete circle; splits on the tail sides caused by flight feathers; excessive twisting of tail feathers so that they do not lie flat.
III. Body (30 pts.)
A. Size (5 pts.): A medium size bird about 14 to 18 ounces, as in Show Racers or English Trumpeters. When all else is equal, the advantage should go the larger bird.
B. Head, Eyes, Neck (5 pts.): The head must be full and round in proportion to the rest of the body. In all cases both eyes must be the same color. The neck is medium in length and full in feather. Faults: Shaking of neck.
C. Crest (5 pts.): The base of the crest must be in direct line with the eyes and beak setting. Peak Crest, as seen in an Archangel or Turbit, to be preferred, or a small shell crest.
D. Breast and Back (5 pts.): The breast must be round and full. Breast feathers are to over wing butts. The back must be medium in length and width, leaving about a 11/2 inch space between the head and tail when at station, standing naturally.
E. Legs, Muffs, and Flights (5 pts.): The legs are medium in length. The muffs are full feathered and about two inches in length, with hock feathers to match. The feathering must be sufficient to cover all toes. Flights should be carried under the tail, but should not drag on the ground. Faults: Bare toes/feet or excessively over muffed.
F. Feather Texture (5 pts.): Feathers to lie smoothly and to be medium to hard in texture. Feathers to be broad, especially the main tail feathers. The backing feathers of the tail are to fit closely against the tail.
IV. Condition (5 pts.): The bird should be healthy, alert, clean, and free of parasites.
V. Color (10 pts.): Recognizing the difficulty in achieving superior color, if other points are equal, preference be given to a superior colored bird in the self classes. All colors to be rich, lustrous, and pure with as little smut as possible and with a maximum of sheen. In all colors the ground color becomes darker as progression is made from barred, to check, to T-pattern. Al1 self colored birds to be evenly colored throughout. Colors to include the intense and dilute version of each.
Recognized Colors: Blue in: Barless, barred, check, T-pattern and spread in intense and dilute; Brown in: Barred, check, spread in intense and dilute; Ash red in: Barred and check, intense and dilute; Recessive red; Recessive yellow; Gold; Powdered; Lavender; Indigo; Grizzle; Almond; White; Other color modifiers as they are bred into the Indian Fantail. Beak and toe nail colors to be harmonious with plumage color: dark-colored birds to have dark beak and nails and light-colored birds to have lighter beak and nails.
For detailed color designation refer to appendix
Vl. Markings (10 pts.) A. Classes for recognized colors and markings are as follows, and all birds identifiable to a particular or marked class are to be shown in that class even if they do not meet full requirements. Recognizing the difficulty in achieving correctly marked birds, if other points are equal, preference to be given a well-marked bird. Solid selfs: Black, dun, brown, khaki, and recessive red and yellow. Patterned selfs: Blue, ash red, and brown; barless, barred, checked, and T-pattern. White: An all white bird. Bodymark: Al white main tail with colored body. Saddle: Al1 white bird with colored wing shield; primary flights are white and secondaries, colored. Tailmark: All white body with a colored main tail. Ribbintail: Solid-colored body and tail except for a ½" and ¾" white or near-white ribbon or band running continuously across every feather of the tail. The band should be ½" to 1" from the tips of the tail feathers. Almond: Any pigment, T-pattern, almond factor. Splash: This class to include partially colored birds having at least 40% of their body covered with white feathers in a random pattern. This class should not include any bird that is recognizable as a mismark of a recognized color, mark, or pattern. A.O.C. (any other color): this class is to include all new colors such as indigo, grizzle, gold, spread lavender, and new markings such as whiteside and monk marked as well as any other new or experimental colors and marks.
B. New classes are to be creasted for any colors, marks, whether described above or not, when there are eight birds in that color or marking in a show exhibited by two or more exhibitors.
Disqualification's: A split in the center or top of the tail; crooked or slanted tail; eyes not of the same color or split-colored eyes; no crest; lacing of tail feathers; any cut feathers; any excessive plucking; any sick bird; any crippled or maimed bird; excessive signs of parasites.
Appendix
Color Description for Indian Fantails
A. BLUE SERIES
Intense
1. Barless blue:
Head color a rich, even shade of medium blue/gray. Neck feathers a bit darker shade showing a rich sheen. The wing feathers to be a lighter shade of blue-gray, with the color carried out through the secondary to primary feathers and blending in with the blackish tips of these feathers. The lower back and rump should be a rich, light blue-gray. All other body feathers should be an even shade of medium blue-gray. The tail to be a little darker shade of blue-gray.
2. Barred:
Same color description as above with the addition that, when the wings are folded, there should be two bars of rich black.
3. Checked:
The head and body similar to the blue bar, but a darker shade. The check marks on the wings to be open and carried evenly to the wing butts. Tail to be a darker shade of blue-gray.
4. T-Pattern:
Head and neck to be an even shade of dark blue-gray, approaching black. The wing feathers to be dark blackish gray showing occasional small lighter gray areas. Tail to be dark gray with a black band.
5. Black:
Color over entire body; head, neck, wings, and tail to be a jet black with plenty of green sheen - specially on the neck. The black should be even throughout and should extend down into the under plumage.
Dilute
1. Barless silver:
Head color a rich shade of light gray shading to fawn. Neck feathers a little darker shade of the same color. The wing feathers should be a light shade of gray-fawn with color carried well out through the primary and secondary feathers blending in with the dun-colored tips. The tail a somewhat darker shade of gray-fawn.
2. Barred silver:
Same color description as above with the addition that when the wings are folded there should be two bars of a rich dun color.
3. Checked silver:
The head, neck, and body a medium shade of fawn-gray; a little darker than for the barred silver. The check marks on the wing to be open and carried evenly to the wing butts. The tail a dark shade of fawn-gray.
4. T-pattern silver:
The head, neck, and body to be a deep dun. Wing color dun, with occasional lighter fawn areas. Tail to be dun with a dark dun bar.
5. Dun:
Color over entire body; head and neck to be a rich, even shade of dun. Tail to be dark dun showing no terminal bar.
B. BROWN SERIES
Intense
1. Silver dun (Brown bar):
The body and wing color to be a light, clear, brownish gray throughout, shading to brown on the head and neck. Wing bars to be a rich red-brown.
2. Brown checked:
The head, neck, and body color to be a clear, medium shade of brownish gray; a little darker than for the barred silver. The check marks on the wing to be open and carried evenly to the wing butts. The tail a medium shade of brown-grey.
3. Brown:
The head, neck, body, wings, and tail to be an even shade of rich chocolate brown. Color to extend into the under plumage.
Dilute
1. Silver cream:
Body, head, neck, wings, and tail to be a soft tan-gray shading to khaki on neck. Bars on wings to be an even shade of ocher.
2. Silver checked:
The body, head, neck, wings, and tail a medium shade of tan-gray. A little darker than the silver cream. Checking on the wings to be open and carried to the wings butts.
3. Khaki (Dilute brown spread):
The head, neck, wings, body, and tail to be an even shade of Khaki.
C. ASH RED SERIES
Intense
1. Mealy (Red-barred silver):
Body and wing color a clear lavender-gray shading to a rich claret-red on the head and neck. The bars to be a clear claret-red. The tail an even shade of lavender-gray with as little flecking as possible.
2. Red checked:
The body a clear medium dark lavender-gray shading to rich claret-red on the head and neck. Checking on the wings to be open and carried evenly to the wing butts. The tail to be lavender-gray with as little flecking as possible.
Dilute
1. Cream bar:
The body and wing color a soft cream gray shading to a rich golden cream on the head and neck. Wing bars to be rich golden cream. Tail a pale cream gray showing as little flecking as possible.
2. Yellow checked:
The body color a soft cream gray shading to a rich golden cream on the head and neck. Body color a bit darker than on the creams. Checking on the wings to be open and carried every to the wing butts. Tail a pale cream gray showing as little flecking as possible.
D. OTHER COLORS
1. Red:
Red pigment, intense, spread, recessive red factor. a deep even shade of chestnut red over all portions. Color carried down to underplumage. Feather shafts to be colored red. Should show plenty of sheen on neck.
2. Yellow:
Red pigment, dilute, spread, recessive red factor. A deep even golden yellow color throughout. Color carried down to underplumage. Feather shafts to be yellow. Should show plenty of sheen on neck.
3. Gold:
Red pigment, pale factor, spread, recessive red factor. A color midway between red and yellow, but with a deep orange tone. Color to be rich, even, and carried down to underplumage. Feather shafts to be gold. should show plenty of sheen on neck.
4. Powdered:
a. blue series, pattern, milky factor, intense or dilute
b. ash red series, pattern, milky factor, intense or dilute
The bird should have the basic color is its series and pattern, but overlaid with a soft, rich,
powdery shade which gives a milky look to the plumage. Can be found in either intense or dilute version.
5. Lavender:
a. blue pigment, milky factor, spread, intense or dilute
b. ash red pigment, milky factor, spread, intense or dilute
The same as above, but with the addition of the spread factor. Tail showing no bar.
6. Indigo:
Blue pigment, intense, spread, indigo factor. The body and tail an even shade of midnight blue shading to black on the head and neck. The wing is a little lighter with dark blue edging on each feather.
7. Grizzle:
Any pigment, intense or dilute, grizzle factor, bar, check or T-pattern. The head, neck, body, wing and tail color to be the same as for the series and pattern, with the addition of white flecks superimposed on top of the color. The grizzling effect to be most noticeable on the head, neck, and shoulder areas, while almost absent on the bars of wing or tail. An even distribution of grizzling is desired.
8. Almond:
Any pigment, T-pattern, almond factor. Almond is a modifying factor that, when introduced, causes various flecks of color to appear on the feathers of the bird. The base color to strive for is a rich, yellow-brown or almond color. The flecks vary in size, but should be even in distribution. There must be at least three colors on the bird. Flecking is usually more pronounced on the head, neck, and flights, but if on every feather, so much the better. Each feather of the primaries and secondaries should have three colors in patches. The even distribution of the three colors on the bird is called break. Perfection would be the same amount of break on each feather. The more break and the better distribution, the better the color of the almond.
9. White:
Head, neck, body, wing, and tail pure white. Quills on all feathers to be white.