Older PHOENIX

(also practically identical with the UK standard, illustration from the current Swiss Standard for Poultry )

This is the current standard for Phoenix (2001) in Switzerland and Italy and is clearly an Onagadori-type bird. This extreme feather length is only to be found in pure and hybrid Onagadori lines or those, as you will see in the illustrations below, from the UK, which have maintained a high level of Onagadori genes in their "Game-coloured Yokohama".

The falling back-line, the heavier "Landhuhn" body are typical of the Onagadori. The extremely long feathers show the influence of the gene "gt" which distinguishes the Onagadori from the other long tail breeds of Japanese descent. Due to this extremely hgh and demanding standard most breeders of Phoenix In Switzerland, England and Italy never have birds that gain any notoriety at the shows because of the inherent difficulty of keeping the tails in good conditions and that only Phoenix with high levels of Onagadori blood show this type of feather growth.

A Golden Duckwing (Orangehalsig) (right) of British breeding lines showing clearly in this rather untypical pose, the Onagadori-like form and feather growth. The tail is magnificent in this bird whose combs has obviously been damaged by frost, or it may be a triple pea comb - I cannot tell from the image. The bird illustrated below is truely a magnificent example of a Longtailed Phoenix of the older type - and very Ongadori-like! This very unsual colour, a Blue Breasted Golden, is beautiful. The saddle length and fullness speaks for itself. In England, however, this bird is called a Yokohama. Click here for the Official British Standard for "Yokohama".

The general loss of this extreme feather length in mainland Europe has been documented in Belgian literature with references to the "degrading" of the Phoenix to lengths of only 6 feet. Only 6 feet! Many breeders today would be very content to have cocks with 6 foot (2 meters) lengths of sickles! Note the illustrations below of Phoenix from older literature already showing the less extreme lengths of tail feathers in the Phoenix - and this not many years after their creation.

Below: Illustrations around the turn of the last century showing Phoenix (UK: gamefowl-coloured Yokohama). Note the similarity in the body forms illustrated here and the current German standard above. The Swiss standard, however, shows a genetically very different bird.

 

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