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These birds are excellent examples of a "closed
curtain" in that the coverts are evenly long, touching the ground evenly.
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This second rooster is from Red Duckwing breeding from
Mr Rolf Ismer's line from the early 1980's. It is very full in the main
tail, but is lacking the length in the saddle, but is nonetheless a superb
example of feather-richness. Very important is the the firm structure of
these feathers - to keep them at an elegant angle to the body form, extending
the shape of the body. The firm texture of the feathers also aid in weathering
and wear. The weaker, soft feathers of the Onagadori descendants are often
easily damaged.
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The next two illustrations are of BBSilvers (Silver Duckwings)
from the year 2001. They illustrate the superb advances made in feather
structure and fullness of the coverts + main sickles. In these roosters
one can also detect a high number of extra (mutant) sickles and coverts,
creating a very thick train of feathers.
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It is also extremely important for judges to know that
when a Phoenix or any other Longtail possesses many extra mutant sickles,
the form of the tail is no longer flat and closed as in breeds with less
feathers. The extra feathering causes the tail to be rounded on top and
the feathers do not necessarily lay flat in their arrangement. This should
not be penalized in any way.
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A superb example in every since! A Golden Duckwing Phoenix
from the early 1980's from Germany. I believe that this line is now extinct.
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I thought it important to add this image here when
discussing the structure of the feathers and their firmness. This example
of an Onagadori shows the extremely supple and "floppy" structure
that is often the Kennzeichen of the true Onagadori's feathering. This type
of feathering on our more robust and durable Phoenix is not what we want.
Note the next illustration, which is a cross between the Onagadori and the
Phoenix, and the subsequent weak feathers on a robust bird.
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