Columbian Plumage
Color of Male
HEAD: White, with some luster.
NECK: Hackle – surface of feather, lustrous greenish black, with a narrow lacing of silvery white; nearly all of fluff and shaft, black; some white at juncture of quill with skin. Front of Neck – white.
BACK: Silvery white. Cape – black and white.
SADDLE: Surface of feather, white, with lustrous black stripe extending down middle of each feather, tapering to a point near its lower extremity. The black in saddle feathers adjoining back is approximately one half the length of the surface of the feather. As the feathers approach the upper saddle, adjoining the tail coverts, this black stripe gradually increases to approximately two thirds the length of the surface of the feather. There is a clear patch of white between the fluff and the beginning of the black stripe.
TAIL: Main Tail – black. Sickles & Lesser Sickles – lustrous greenish black. Coverts – lustrous greenish black, laced with silvery white.
WINGS: Shoulders & Fronts – white, with some black acceptable. Bows and Coverts – white. Primaries – black, with white border on lower edge of lower web. Secondaries - black, upper web laced with white, exposed portion of lower web forming wing bay, white.
BREAST: White.
BODY & STERN: White, except under wings, where it may be tinted with slaty blue.
LOWER THIGHS: White.
UNDERCOLOR: Delicate slaty blue in all sections.
Color of Female
HEAD: White
NECK: Hackle – surface of feather, lustrous greenish black, with a narrow lacing of silvery white; nearly all of fluff and shaft, black; some white at juncture of quill with skin. Front of Neck – white.
BACK & CUSHION: White.
TAIL: Main Tail – black, except two top feathers, which should be finely laced with white. Coverts – black, with narrow lacing of white.
WINGS: Shoulders, Fronts, Bows and Coverts – white. Primaries – black, with white border on lower edge of lower web. Secondaries – black, upper web laced with white, exposed portion of lower web forming wing bay, white.
BREAST: White.
BODY & STERN: White, except under wings, where it may be tinged with slaty blue.
LOWER THIGHS: White.
UNDERCOLOR: Delicate slaty blue in all sections.
Disqualifications
One or more solid black or brown feathers on surface of back or breast – Dark spots or mossiness in surface of back or saddle appearing in approximately 15 percent of the feathers of this section, except narrow black stripes extending not over two thirds the length of feather and near tail of male, or dark markings in cape of either sex; red feathers in plumage.
Defects
Black extending to end of feather in hackle, saddle and tail coverts – Black ticking on the throat, breast and fluff of male – Black ticking on back of female – Brassy surface color in males – Brown, gray or rusty cast in primaries of male – Broken striping in hackles of both sexes – Gray feathers in various sections of the plumage – Lacing too heavy in tail coverts of female – Main tail feathers not black clear to the skin – Mealiness in surface and undercolor – Smutty and/or indistinct lacing in hackle and tail coverts of female and hackle and saddle of male – White spots in primaries of female.
There is a tendency to disregard indistinct contrasts between black and white sections of the plumage. There should be no blending of the two colors.
