The fantail is primarily a bird of type and action; "type" meaning to represent in terms of typical characteristics; "action" meaning behavior or method of performing.

  General requirements are the same for all fantails and total 100 points. The first 75 points describe type; the remaining 25 points describe a fantail in action (carriage and motion).

  Fantails are to be judged by comparison. To assist judges in assigning proportionate values to the various desirable qualities, point values are listed.

  An advantage of 5 points may be allowed for excellence in plumage color in self and barred classes. There is NO allowance for color in Whites and NCC’s (Non Classified Colors).

  An advantage of 5 points may also be allowed for excellence in markings and 5 points for color when patterns are involved, as in Saddles, Tailmarks and Bodymarks.

BEAK: Thin and medium in length, the upper mandible slightly curved at the tip.

BEAK WATTLE: Small and fine in texture.

EYES: Clear, bright, alert. Eye cere as fine as possible.

NECK: Thin, nicely curved and tapering well off as it approaches the head.

LENGTH OF NECK: Corresponding with length of back, so as to enable the head to rest closely, in the center of, and at the base of the cushion.

SHAPE: Small and round like a ball when viewed from any angle showing a graceful curve from chest to feet. (A balanced medium sized bird, however, is preferred to a small bird deficient in other important qualities.)

CHEST: Shape, round like a ball, carrying out rounded contour of the body.

BACK: Appearance of being slightly hollowed in center. Length of back shall be in proportion to length of neck, enabling the head to rest closely, in the center of and at the base of the cushion.

RUMP: Of sufficient size to balance the tail evenly.

TAIL: Slightly concave, circular, closely filled with broad, evenly set feathers, well overlapping each other.

LEGS: Moderately short to medium in length, not stilty, set well apart and forward so as to conform with the curve of the bodyline but without the appearance of  buckling. Free from feathers below the hocks.

FEET: Small, fine, neat. Color of feet--bright red.

The bird should walk in a jaunty manner on its tip-toes with its head thrown back in a graceful manner and resting with ease, constantly in the center of and at the base of the cushion.

CHEST: Full and round like a ball, carrying out the rounded contour of the body. Apparent upheaving of the chest when bird is in motion.

WINGS: Neat, closely fitting to the body, showing body frontal, underbody and part of thigh when viewed in profile. The wing butts shall be hidden so as to preserve an over-all appearance of roundness of the bird, with flights tight, not loose, just clearing the lowest tail feathers, almost meeting at the tips and not breaking away from the general line of the wings.

TAIL: Carried well up, not being allowed to drop or incline forward, with as much toptail as possible showing above the chest when viewed from the front and at eye level. Tail should basically have a slight concave shape of a plate when viewed from the back with the cushion in the center of and centered on the tail. Not curved in any way from dead center.

PLUMAGE: The ground color of the almond is a rich, golden-buff, that of the interior of an   almond nut shell from which the name is derived. Rich black flecking shall be dispersed throughout the plumage. Flights (primaries and secondary) and tail feathers are to be splotched irregularly with distinct patches of ground color, white and black. The white splotches in the tail feathers are to be positioned in such a way that the appearance of a white terminal bar is produced.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with flesh colored cere.

BEAK: Flesh colored preferred, horn permitted.

TOENAILS: Flesh colored.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with dark cere.

BEAK: Black.

TOENAILS: Black.

PLUMAGE: Pure white with NO colored feathering at all.

EYES & EYE CERE: Dark hazel or bull with flesh colored cere.

BEAK: Flesh colored.

TOENAILS: Flesh colored.

PLUMAGE: Jet black throughout. Free from rustiness or checkering of any type, and covered with a rich beetle-green luster.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with dark cere.

BEAK: Black.

TOENAILS: Black.

PLUMAGE: Clear, sound, gray-blue. Free from sootiness, checkering or bronzing, with no inclination to run light on rump or breast. The feathers on the neck and throat shall be covered with an iridescent metallic sheen. The wing and tail bars shall be black and well defined. The tail feathers shall be edged all around with the same shade as the shield area.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with dark cere.

BEAK: Black.

TOENAILS: Black.

PLUMAGE: A soft shade of light silver with no tendency toward a creamy color. The feathers on the neck and throat shall be covered with an iridescent metallic sheen. The wing and tail bars shall be dun and well defined. The tail feathers shall be edged all around with the same shade as the shield area.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with drab colored cere.

BEAK: Horn colored.

TOENAILS: Horn colored

PLUMAGE: An intense basic color alternative to ash red and blue. Often mistaken for the dilutes of the blue series (dun, silver check, silver bar), but brown usually has a slightly more fawn shade, fades easily in sunlight and eye color is not yellow/orange. As with the blue and ash red series, the distribution of brown pigment can be affected by spread (solid self), the pattern series (T check, check, bar, barless) and other pigment altering factors (grizzle, milky, etc.). The brown shades can be lightened to soft tones by the addition of dilution, resulting in the khaki (dilute brown) series.

BROWN SOLID SELF: A uniform rich shade of chocolate throughout.

BROWN T CHECK: Rich chocolate shade on head, neck and body lightening some underneath.

WING SHIELDS: – Dark chocolate with feathers edged in fawn producing the dark checker appearance.

BROWN CHECK: Same as T Check, but with more fawn on the wing shield producing clear, definite chocolate checkering.

BROWN BAR: Same as above, but with even fawn throughout the wing shield except for two distinct chocolate bars.

TAIL: – Fawn color with rich chocolate terminal bar.

BROWN BARLESS: Same as brown bar without the wing bars.

KHAKI SERIES: Similar to the above brown series, but lighter, like butterscotch rather than chocolate.

EYES & EYE CERE: Brown, dark; khaki – flesh.

BEAK: Brown, dark horn; khaki, light horn to flesh.

TOENAILS: Same.

PLUMAGE: Checker is a pattern but is shown as a "color class" with consideration given to balance in pattern and richness in color. The pattern varies with the amount of light colored pigment base. The checker pattern is made up of light and dark colored shades of the same color. The light color appears as a "T" on the wing covert feathers. Checker class includes checkers in all basic colors (ash red, blue and brown) as well as their dilutes. It also can include checkers that have had their pigment modified by reduced, milky, pale, and the like, that leaves the checker appearance. Checkers are various patterns that range from light to dark to velvet "T" pattern checks.

EYES & EYE CERE: Same coloration as that of its basic color.

BEAK: Same as that of its basic color.

TOENAILS: Same as that of its basic color.

PLUMAGE: A recessive yellow "mimic". A fairly uniform golden buff shade which usually has lightening in the flights and tail and slight frosting on the head. May develop darker, reddish splotching with age akin to the break of an almond. Shade may vary from dull, washed-out buff to almost red with rich golden bull preferred.

EYES & CERE: Pearl preferred with flesh-colored cere.

BEAK: Flesh to horn-colored with flesh preferred.

TOENAILS: Same.

PLUMAGE: A soft even shade of dull brown with no tendency toward a purple or bluish tint. The feathers of the neck and throat shall be covered with an iridescent metallic sheen.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with drab colored cere.

BEAK: Horn colored.

TOENAILS: Horn colored.

PLUMAGE: A peppery combination of color and white. The grizzle effect is most noticeable on the body, shoulder, neck and head while nearly absent on the wing and tail bars. Grizzle can be bred in all colors, patterns and markings as well as in conjunction with many other pigment affecting factors (dilute, milky, etc.). The classical "dragoon grizzle" is the expression on a blue bar. Tortoiseshell effects are produced when grizzle is in conjunction with checker. Pure grizzle produces stork-mark. Grizzle in combination with spread or recessive red can produce an evenly grizzled bird but most often produces black or red splashed appearing birds.

EYES & EYE CERE: Same as that of its basic color.

BEAK: Same as that of its basic color.

TOENAILS: Same as that of its basic color.

PLUMAGE: Often termed an ash red "mimic". Indigo affects the check and bar areas of the bird. When indigo is combined with blue it results in a rusty reddening of the bar and check areas and a washing out of the terminal bar of the tail. The effects are not as dramatic in combination with ash red or brown. When combined with black the result is what is called Andalusian.

INDIGO BLUE BAR: Light grayish blue on the wings, body and rump. Hackle a darker shade with a green luster. Flights and tail a darker shade with an indistinct terminal bar. Wing bars are a dark chestnut.

Ground color is a light grayish blue with distinct and even dark chestnut "V" checks on the wing, back and rump. Tail terminal bar is indistinct.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange with pearl preferred and dark colored Cere.

BEAK: Black.

TOENAILS: Black.

PLUMAGE: The body and the wing color is a very soft cream-gray blend, shading to a rich golden cream on head and hackle. The wing bars shall be a rich golden cream.

TAIL: A very pale cream-gray shading to ash-white with as little flecking as possible with no flecking at all preferred.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with light horn colored cere.

BEAK: Light horn colored.

TOENAILS: Light horn colored.

PLUMAGE: The body and wing color shall be a clear lavender-gray shading to a rich claret- red on head and hackle. The bars shall be a rich claret-red. The tail is an even shade of lavender-gray with as little flecking as possible with no flecking at all preferred.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with drab colored cere.

BEAK: Horn colored.

TOENAILS: Horn colored.

PLUMAGE: Clear, sound, light, milky blue on body, wings and tail. Free from sootiness with no tendency toward cream, yellow or purple coloring. Having the appearance of being lightly flecked but not checked with powder. The feathers on the neck and throat shall be slightly darker than the body and covered with an iridescent metallic sheen comparable to burnished silver. The neck and throat, like the body, wings and tail, shall be free of cream, yellow or purple coloring. The wing and tail bars shall be flat black, as near black as possible and shall be distinct. The feathers of the tail shall be edged beyond the terminal bar with the same color as the shield area.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl, red or orange, pearl preferred, with fine, dark cere.

BEAK: Black.

TOENAILS: Black.

PLUMAGE: Fawn colored on the body, wings and tail. Having the appearance of being sprinkled with a powdery glow. The feathers on the neck and throat shall be slightly darker than the body and covered with an iridescent metallic sheen. The wing and tail bars shall be distinct and dun colored. The tail feathers shall be edged beyond the terminal bar with the same color as the shield area.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with drab colored cere.

BEAK: Horn colored.

TOENAILS: Horn colored.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl, orange or yellow, with pearl preferred, with dark eye cere.

BEAK: Horn colored.

TOENAILS: Horn colored.

RED:

PLUMAGE: An even shade throughout of clear, rich, bright, chestnut, free from sootiness or any tendency toward bluish or plum tints. The feathers on the neck and throat shall be covered with an iridescent metallic sheen.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with flesh colored cere.

BEAK: Flesh colored.

TOENAILS: Flesh colored.

PLUMAGE: An even shade throughout of rich, bright, golden-buff with no tendency to run light on the rump. The feathers on the neck and throat shall be covered with an iridescent metallic sheen.

EYES & EYE CERE: Pearl or orange, pearl preferred, with flesh colored cere.

BEAK: Flesh colored.

TOENAILS: Flesh colored.

PLUMAGE: The wings shall be marked evenly, the ten outside feathers (primaries) being white, the rest, including the covert (shield) and scapular (thumb) feathering to be colored. The body, except for the back, shall be white. In barred varieties the wing barring shall be clear and distinct. The colored plumage shall follow the rules for color under appropriate color description for the basic color and pattern involved.

EYES & EYE CERE: Dark hazel or bull with flesh colored cere.

BEAK: Flesh colored.

TOENAILS: Flesh colored.

PLUMAGE: Basically a colored bird with a white tail. Bodymarks can be bred in all the basic colors. The body plumage shall follow the rules for that of its basic color. The front cushion shall be colored. The back cushion shall be white.

EYES & EYE CERE: Same as that of its basic color.

BEAK: Same as that of its basic color.

TOENAILS: Same as that of its basic color.

PLUMAGE: The tailmark is a bird basically with a white body and a colored tail. It is bred in all the standard colors. The color intensity of the tail may vary from an intense solid to a delicate lace. A white back cushion is preferred. Uniformity of marking is desired.

EYES & EYE CERE: Dark hazel or bull with flesh colored cere.

BEAK: Flesh colored

TOENAILS: Flesh colored

  This classification is to be used for recognized colors where classes are too small to be competitive (usually 1 exhibitor only in class). As all birds in this class will be of recognized colors, color and/or marking points will be awarded. This class is Not to be used as as a catch all for mismark birds. Rules pertaining to individual plumage descriptions, eye and eye cere, and toenail colorations shall apply.

This classification is to be used for those colors that have not as yet been recognized. It is also to be used for marked birds of a color that has not as yet been recognized as well as for any new marking that has not as yet been recognized. There will be no allowance for color and/or marking points for birds competing in this classification.

PLUMAGE: A colored bird with up to 75% of its plumage randomly dispersed white.

A white bird with more than 25% of its plumage colored.

A tailmark with more than 25% but less than 75% of its tail carrying color.

A bodymark with less than 75% of its tail feathers white.

A saddle with less than 75% color in the shield area.

EYES & EYE CERE: Same as that of its basic color or marking.

BEAK: Same as that of its basic color or marking.

1. ANY SIGN OF SICKNESS:  Such as: Coughing, sneezing, canker, diarrhea, joint swelling or going light.

2. DEFORMITIES:  Such as: Webbed feet, crooked toes, crooked mandibles, or pox disfigurations, feather peaks on head, crests on head.

3. EXTERNAL PARASITES: Such as: Lice, mites or pigeon flies.

4. The use of any foreign material not natural to the birds on any part of the bird at exhibit time. Finding any foreign material attached to the bird in the show pen.

5. Cutting of feathers to enhance the look of the bird at showtime. (Exception to rule - The trimming of feathers at the eye for the birds eye health).