Silver Duckwing Plumage

Silver Duckwing Plumage

Color of Male

HEAD: White
NECK: Hackle - silvery white, free from black or dark stripping, with some luster on lower portion.  Front of Neck - black.
BACK & SADDLE: Lustrous silvery white; free from black or dark striping.
TAIL: Main Tail - black.  Sickles, Lesser Sickles & Upper Coverts - lustrous blue black.  Lesser Coverts - white.
WINGS: Shulders & Fronts - lustrous black.  Bows - silvery white.  Coverts - brilliant blue black, forming a distinct bar across wing.  Primaries - dull black, lower edges of lower feathers, white.  Secondaries - dull black, lower edges edged with white, exposed portion of outer web forming wing bay, white.
BREAST: Brilliant black.
BODY, STERN & LOWER THIGHS: Black.
UNDERCOLOR: Light slate in all sections.

Color of Female

HEAD: Silvery gray.
NECK: Hackle - silvery gray, with narrow black stripe through middle of each feather, terminating in a point just short of lower extremity of feather.  Front of Neck - dark salmon
BACK & CUSHION: Surface of feather, silvery gray, formed of silver white, finely stippled with ashy gray; more importance is attached to fineness, evenness of color and freedom from shafting or regular penciling than to a particular shade or color, but it is important that the effect produced is that of a soft even shade of gray; unexposed portion of feathers to be slaty gray.
TAIL: Main Tail - black, except two top feathers, which should be stippled with ight gray.  Coverts - same as back.
WINGS: Shoulders, Fronts, Bows and Coverts - same as back.  Primaries - dull black, outer webs edged with slaty gray.  Secondaries - dull black, outer webs finely stippled with ashy gray, forming wing bay to blend with body.
BREAST: Salmon, shading to gray under body, free from shafting.
BODY & STERN: Body - gray, formed of silvery white, finely stippled with ashy gray, free from shafting.  Stern - fluff, light ashy gray.
LOWER THIGHS: Same as body.
UNDERCOLOR: Light slate in all sections.

Disqualifications
Positive white in main tail or sickle feathers.

Defects
Reddish cast in female secondaries - Lacing or frostiness in female breast feathers - Excess of white fluff at base of male tail - Light lacing in breast of both sexes - Penciling and/or vermiculation in female back, body, shoulders, fronts, bows and covert feathers.  These feathers should be stippled over the entire surface right up to the very edge of the feather.