Frillback pigeon

These breeds are the earliest known pigeons to be bred solely for ornamental purposes, and not for meat. The curly top flight feathers of these breeds make it appear almost lacy, but come at the expense of effective flight. While they’re able to fly much better than chickens, and can fly “normally” to escape predators or get out of a rut, making some of their flight feathers essentially useless means that to do so, they have to expend more energy than your average pigeon. This factor, along with their larger size, means these birds generally prefer to walk or run, rather than fly. These fancy feathers also mean that the frillback breeds have no water resistance and are highly susceptible to cold if wet, like the fantails. The frillback mutation is autosomal dominant, so if one parent has just one copy of the gene, there’s a 50/50 chance that the offspring will have frilled feathers. The dominance of this gene means that the frill trait has been transferred to some types and families of other fancy breeds
The Frillback is a breed of fancy pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding.^[1] Frillbacks, along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are all descendants from the rock pigeon (Columba livia). The breed is known for the frill or curls on the wing shield feathers. The feather curl should also be present at the ends of the foot feathers or muffs.^[2]

The standards of a pure American Frillback

The quality of a Frillback is based on a 100-point scale, with the head constituting 15 points, the color constituting 15 points, the body constituting 10 points, the curl constituting 50 points, and the muff constituting 10 points.
The colors of standard Frillbacks fall into six color categories.

1. Self- white, black, recessive red, yellow
2. Pattern- recessive red mottle, yellow mottle, rosewing, whiteside
3. Grizzle- red, yellow, blue, silver
4. Shield marked- red, yellow, blue-black bar, silver-dun bar, mealy ash-red bar, ash-cream bar
5. ARC- Any rare color
6. ARCP- Any rare color pattern

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 longer 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.