American Fantail

Please note, this standard is ONLY the CFC Standard and does not yet reflect the standard of other Fantail clubs at this time.

Central Fantail Club

Standard of Perfection for Fantails

 The philosophy of this standard of perfection is to achieve a refined, balanced Fantail, a Fantail that displays this balance while standing, while in motion and in transition from one to the other.  The points allowed for the individual traits are insignificant unless a balance of the general requirements is achieved. 

The Fantail is primarily a bird of type and action; “type” meaning to represent typical structural characteristics and posture while standing.  “Action” meaning behavior and method of performing while in motion. 80 points describe type while stationary, 20 points describe action, carriage while in motion. 

Fantails are to be judged by comparison to each other, seeking the best refined balance of the strongest traits that define the breed – round body, large tail, well set legs and head while standing and in motion. 

In solid and patterned selfs an advantage of 5 points may be allowed for excellence of plumage color.   In marked birds, such as saddles, tailmarks and bodymarks, 5 points may also be allowed for excellence in marking and 5 points for excellence of plumage color of recognized colors.  There is no allowance for color or markings in whites, pieds and NCC’s (Non-Classified Colors).

If two birds are equal in general requirement points the smaller bird is preferred. 

BODY:  Round like a ball when viewed from any angle, showing a graceful curve from beak to feet when viewed in profile.

 KEEL:  Relatively short keel protruding well in front of the wings, producing a full round underbelly and forward depth.

BACK:  Should give the appearance of being slightly hollow in the center.  Length of back should be in proportion with length of neck, to allow for proper head setting.

WINGS:  In profile, narrow from top to bottom, bottom wing line unbroken, and flights just clearing the lowest feathers of the tail, flights not too long, tips nearly meeting behind the tail and resting gently on the floor.  Wings should be set well up on the sides of the body exposing as much body frontal as possible and some of the lower leg.  From the front, wings shall be hidden so as to preserve the overall appearance of roundness of the bird.  Flights shall be tight against the body and feathers tight together.

TAIL:  Slightly concave, circular, closely filled with broad even set feathers, well overlapping each other.  The tail should be set high enough on the body to allow the bird to have as much top tail as possible without forcing the head out of the pocket.  The tail should be straight on the bird from side to side.

CUSHION:  Front, full, long and wide.  Back, strong, wide flaring and centered on the tail.

RUMP:  Sufficient rump to support the tail, straight from side to side and allow the tail to be carried well up.

RATIO:  The relationship of tail size (as determined by vertical height of the slightly concave, circular appearing tail) to the body size (as determined from floor to top of chest) while the bird is showing should approach 2 to 1.

HEAD:  Small showing refinement, smooth, free of ornaments.

BEAK:  Thin and medium in length, with small fine textured wattles.   Color in accordance with feather color.

WATTLE:   Small and fine in texture.

EYES / CERES:  Clear, bright, alert, eye cere as fine as possible and colored in accordance to feather color.  Eyes dark for all white headed colors.  Pearl eyes or yellow to orange-red eyes for all other colors.  Pearl eyes preferred.

NECK & HEAD SETTING:  Thin, nicely curved and tapered well off as it approaches the head.  Length of neck should correspond with length of the back to enable the head to consistently set effortlessly centered, from side to side, and at the base of the cushion. This shall be known as the pocket.  Beak line should flow into the curve of the body profile.  Head must not be visible above the chest from straight on front, and should be well beneath the top of the chest when viewed in profile ,

LEGS:  Strong, moderately short to medium length, not stilty, set well apart and forward  of the center of the body circle (resulting in rear depth) and so as to conform with the curve of the body line.  There should be no appearance of “buckling”, bowed in, or spreading out past the width of the body.  When standing still they should be squared up, not with one leg pulled back.

FEET:  Strong, neat, fine, free of feathers and bright red in color. When standing still the bird’s weight should be set soundly on the front toes with middle toes pointing straight forward.  The ball of the foot should be slightly off the floor.  The feet should be squared up, not one pulled back or turned in.

PLUMAGE:  Clean, neat, hard and tight fitting, with no pants or loose feathers obscuring the lower legs.   All feathers on the Fantail should be short including the flights, except the tail and cushion feathers should be long.   Plumage pigmentation to comply with recognized color descriptions.

CARRIAGE & MOTION:  Carriage in motion relates to the behavior and carriage of a Fantail in motion, or walking.  Posture while standing is covered with each structural trait.  Proper carriage in motion demonstrates a balance between all the structural traits ensuring no trait invades and destroys another.  Fantails should walk forward in an airy carefree manner while maintaining graceful control.  A Fantail should go on short trips (jaunts) and have its head thrown back in a graceful, effortless manner consistently centered from side to side and at the base of the cushion, maintaining a full round body with wings well covered and closely fitting to the body, tail carried upright maintaining its top tail while walking on its front toes.  There should be a slight upheaval of the chest with each step and no inclining forward or dropping backward of the tail and no loosening of the wings.

The Fantail should perform these disciplines without a great deal of encouragement.  However, the judge may have to straighten tangled feathers or wait for distractions in the walking pen to dissipate.  Carriage in motion is the only place all the traits are considered as whole.  Carriage in motion explains how the traits of a Fantail relate to each other while the Fantail is in motion.