Meet The Coveted Frillback Pigeon, A Bird With Curly Feathers!

Do you like showing off your birds, or just enjoy looking at pretty ones? Meet the Frillback pigeon, one of the fanciest show pigeons you’ll ever come across! As is apparent from the name itself, this pretty pigeon breed has ‘curly’ feathers on its back. These curls in its feathers make the pigeon look frilly, hence making it one of the most sought-after show birds. To give you an idea of how loved this pigeon is, Charles Darwin had it!

ARC and ARCP Frillbacks must be entered by at least 3 exhibitors in 3 of 5 American Frillback shows for 3 years, with judging score progress, before it is deemed appropriate. Frillbacks produce many different colors that are not recognized by the AFC because they are not standard and do not reproduce consistently. Frillbacks can carry numerous colors in many different patterns such as pied. These colors are not recognized as standard but are very common.

Size

Frillbacks are slightly larger than other colored pigeon breeds, with long tail and wing feathers.

Head

Shell-crest and plain-head are found in all colors of Frillbacks. A plain-headed Frillback should have a slightly oval head with no flat areas and a forehead that has a distinct stop at the wattle. A shell-crested Frillback should have a thick shell crest on the back of the head with rosettes on each side. The crest should stand off the head.

Eyes

The eyes should be in line with the beak. A reddish-orange is desired in all colors except shield marked. Shield marked desire a black or "bull-eye". While pearl, gravel, and cracked eyes occur, they are not desirable and are considered major faults.

Beak

The beak of a Frillback is long, with the upper beak often being slightly longer than the lower beak. The beak is dark on red and blue grizzles, black on blacks, light on yellow, horn on silver, and flesh colored on all other standard colors. The wattle is thin and white on all colors.

Muff

The muff of a Frillback will vary, however, 2 to 3 inches is a desirable length.

Frill

The curl of a Frillback covers its entire wing shield. No areas should be uncovered. The last row of curls spans the entire length of the wing. Frills form a distinct ringlet curl at the end. The bottom of the muff is also frilled. Tail and flight feathers have a distinct wrinkle.