The Fantail is a popular breed of fancy pigeon. The American Pigeon Journal had special issues devoted to the breed in February 1975 and July 1977 The magazine is available for viewing in Wikipedia Commons. It is characterised by a fan-shaped tail, resembling a peacock, composed of 30 to 40 feathers, abnormally more than most members of the dove and pigeon family, which usually have 12 to 14 tail feathers. The breed is thought to have originated in Pakistan, India, China, Japan or Spain. There are several subvarieties, such as the English Fantail, the Indian Fantail, which has a peak crest and the Thai Fantail. Charles Darwin used it as one of the examples in the first chapter of his book On the Origin of Species. He believed it was a descendant of the rock dove (Columba livia).
There is a feather mutation called Silky that gives an interesting lace effect to a Fantail's tail feathers. Fantails with this mutation are known as Silky or Lace Fantails.
