Chinese Spot

Origin:  China, (The Middle Kingdom) from the northern regions in and around Beijing.  One of the oldest and best known pigeon breeds of China.  Origin is believed to be about 1700 A.D.  Their standard is different than that of other Chinese Nasal Tufts.

 Overview:

The Chinese Spot is a medium-sized pigeon.  This is one of the few Nasal Tufts in which heavier is better.  This bird is presently bred in black, red, and blue and their dilutes.  Spots have a long history in China.  They are a piebald pigeon with two prominent patches of color --  the spot, the color of which includes the beak crest if present, and the tail including the rump and upper and ventral coverts.  Birds without a spot and/or with a white tail do occur.

 Standard:

 Head - Beak:  The skull should be round; and a bird may be medium or short-faced, but never so short it can’t feed its own young.  Long faced birds occur in China, but are not to be preferred.  The beak is stout.  In blacks and blues it is two colored with the upper mandible dark while the lower mandible is light.  Reds have the upper beak horn colored and the lower flesh-colored.  Dilutes may show almost the same as their intense colors or only a slightly darker upper beak.  The wattle is small, smooth and powdery white.  If the bird is beak-crested, the crest should be large.  Spots may also be plain-headed, i.e., with no beak crest. 

 Beak Crest: Should be large.  The beak crest consists of two series of feathers rising from just behind the cere on the forehead.  Each series of feather twists and overlaps the other.  The left should be growing toward the right and the right toward the left. Like clasping hands, not interlocking fingers. The crest should rise and lean forward and down toward the tip of the  beak.

 Beak Cere: Small.  Smooth.  White with a powdery appearance.

 Wings: Medium length, not closed too tightly and resting on the tail.

Eyes:  Orange to orange-red eyes are normal and the eyes must be bright and shiny showing an almost fire-like radiance.  Bull eyes or pearl eyes exist but are not to be preferred.  Split eyes, e.g., one bull eye and one orange eye, etc. is a fault.

Eye Cere:  Off-white (waxy white), smooth-skinned, and broad.  A pure white cere is considered second best to a waxy-white one.  Red ceres are a fault. However, due to the present lack of waxy-cere breeding stock in the U.S., we are grudgingly allowing red cere birds. They are NOT to be preferred.  Red ceres are always to be considered a fault, and our hope is to remove this red cere allowance by 2015. 

Neck: Somewhat long, slender, never thick.  No markings or ornaments. 

Tail: Must have 14-18 feathers only.  More may occur but are not to be preferred.  Because of the extra tail feathers, the lack of an oil gland is not to be considered a fault. 

Carriage & Feathering: Bird should be upright.  Feathers should be tight, not loose. 

Legs/Feet:  Coral red and free of any feathering.  In blacks, blues and their dilutes, the toenails should be dark.  In reds and yellows, they should be flesh or horn colored.

Size: The size of the Chinese Spot is one of its marks of excellence.  The larger the better.  Hens are normally smaller than cocks, but it is preferred that both be the same size.  Weights range from 13-18 ounces. (368.5 g.–510.3 g.)   

Color and Markings: Chinese Spots are presently bred in black, red, blue and their dilutes..  The normal colored portions of the bird include the forehead spot, which includes the nasal tuft if present, the tail with its upper and ventral coverts, and the rump.  All else is a pure white.  The forehead spot must be centrally placed and slightly elongated.  It must be about 4 mm. wide above the wattle and must not extend to the mouth or below the front half way point of the eyes.  The colored tail markings include the upper tail coverts as well as the ventral plumage and undertail coverts. These markings must be clear and sharply defined.  Blues and true silvers have a light uniform color with tail bar as dark as possible.  Blacks and reds are to be pure and lustrous. All colors must be rich and full.  Yellows must be deep and rich in color.  Tail must be a deep lustrous yellow with no undergrizzle or lightening of color toward the feather shaft. Washed out color is a major fault.

 Sub-varieties:

Birds with a spot and white tail or with no spot and a dark tail do occur.  Lack of spot is to be considered a fault.  Dark-flighted spots do exist.  If these are shown, the dark flights should be as even as possible, i.e., the same number of colored flights in the same position on each wing.  Colored primary flights should start from the outside at the tenth flight and should be equal in number and position in both wings.  Ten by ten colored primary flights is ideal.  If fewer than ten by ten flights are colored, then preference should be given to birds having equal number of colored flights in the same position on each wing over those that do not.  A difference of one colored flight in either wing is acceptable, i.e., 10 x 9 or 9 x 8.  In all cases, a deep, rich color is desired.  

 Faults: Poor or flat color.  Missing spot.  In recessive reds, a weak or light red bordering on orange.  A recessive red bird with an ashy or smutty tail.  Eye cere not smooth. Dark eye cere.  Red eye cere (See the note under Eyes in the Standard.).  Short, stout neck.  Tiny body or loose feathering.  Long face.  Spot so large it touches the mouth.  White feathers in the beak crest, spot or tail.  White rump or ventral coverts.   Dull tail color in any color.  In recessive reds, recessive yellows and blacks, a tail color that is other than that of the spot marking.  Less than 14 tail feathers.  A red bird with a black beak. 

Copyright: 2002, Chinese Nasal Tuft Club of America