A living encyclopedia of fowl.

Abacot Ranger

Photograph forthcoming

English layer with hooded silver-and-fawn plumage.

Massive dewlap-bearing Chinese-descent goose.

Soft buff American breed on the Conservancy watch list.

Ancona

Photograph forthcoming

Mottled black-and-white Mediterranean layer of small white eggs.

Broken pied pattern; productive dual-purpose layer.

Antwerp Belgian (Barbu d'Anvers)

Photograph forthcoming

Compact bearded Belgian true bantam.

Appenzeller Bärthuhner

Photograph forthcoming

Bearded Swiss breed nearly lost to history.

Swiss mountain breed with forward-tilted feathered crest.

Rumpless, tufted, blue-egg laying breed of the Mapuche people.

Archangel

Photograph forthcoming

Metallic copper-and-bronze pigeon of Balkan origin.

Ashy-headed Goose

Photograph forthcoming

Patagonian sheldgoose with a soft grey head.

Asil

Photograph forthcoming

One of the oldest gamefowl breeds — muscular, upright, ancient.

Auburn Turkey

Photograph forthcoming

Light-brown heritage turkey on the conservation list.

Australian Spotted

Photograph forthcoming

Bantam duck with spotted plumage — American show breed.

Black Orpington-descended layer; world record holder for eggs.

Hybrid of Green Junglefowl and domestic hen; sacred to Madurese sailors.

Fibromelanistic — every feather, bone, and organ rendered in obsidian.

The 'laughing chicken' — prized for its distinctive crowing rhythm.

Tall Indonesian breed bred for long, melodious crows.

Iconic pure white English table duck with pink bill.

Baikal Teal

Photograph forthcoming

Spectacular harlequin-faced Asian dabbling duck.

Bali Duck

Photograph forthcoming

Upright Indonesian runner with a crest.

Himalayan migrant — flies higher than any goose on earth.

Barbary Partridge

Photograph forthcoming

Chestnut-collared North African partridge.

Barbu de Grubbe

Photograph forthcoming

Rumpless variant of the Barbu d'Anvers.

Barbu de Watermael

Photograph forthcoming

Bearded, crested true bantam.

Dutch dual-purpose breed with double-laced plumage and dark brown eggs.

Barred Holland

Photograph forthcoming

Dutch-American breed on the Livestock Conservancy critical list.

Barred Plymouth Rock

Photograph forthcoming

The classic American barred farm hen.

Basque Hen (Euskal Oiloa)

Photograph forthcoming

Heritage Basque breed in five recognised varieties.

Belgian Bearded d'Anvers

Photograph forthcoming

True bantam with rose comb, beard, and confident posture.

Belgian Bearded d'Uccle

Photograph forthcoming

Booted, bearded bantam; the Mille Fleur variety is iconic.

USDA-developed small white turkey nearly extinct.

Auto-sexing German breed combining colour and productivity.

Pigeon bred for backward aerial somersaults.

Black Copper Marans

Photograph forthcoming

French dark-brown egg layer — the 'chocolate egg' breed.

Black East Indies

Photograph forthcoming

Tiny iridescent green-black bantam duck.

Black Guinea Fowl

Photograph forthcoming

All-black ground-dwelling guinea of West African forests.

Iconic black-plumaged Australian swan.

White swan with jet-black neck and red knob.

Solid black wing-shoulder mutation of the Indian Blue.

Small alpine partridge-like pheasant with crimson splashes.

Slate-blue laced Mediterranean breed celebrated for elegance.

Blue Copper Marans

Photograph forthcoming

Blue-feathered Marans variant with the same coveted dark eggs.

Steel-blue plumed pheasant of high Tibetan forest.

Blue-grey scaled quail of Mexican deserts.

Blue Slate Turkey

Photograph forthcoming

Solid blue colour variety of the Slate.

Blue Swedish

Photograph forthcoming

Slate blue with white bib — hardy Scandinavian breed.

Yellow-throated mountain tragopan.

Dutch true bantam with profusely feathered legs and feet.

Kentucky heritage turkey with deep mahogany plumage.

Brabanter

Photograph forthcoming

Crested, V-comb Dutch breed dating to the 1600s.

Brahma

Photograph forthcoming

The 'King of Chickens' — massive feathered-leg heritage breed.

Brecon Buff

Photograph forthcoming

Welsh buff breed selected in the early 20th century.

Breda Fowl

Photograph forthcoming

Combless Dutch breed with high-set wings and feathered legs.

AOC-protected French breed with steel-blue legs and red comb.

Sumatran peacock-pheasant with bronzed tail.

Brown Eared Pheasant

Photograph forthcoming

Long-feathered chocolate pheasant.

The original wild-coloured Leghorn from Tuscany.

Buckeye

Photograph forthcoming

Only American breed developed by a woman — mahogany, pea-combed.

Budapest Tumbler

Photograph forthcoming

High-flying performance pigeon with bug eyes.

Buff Guinea Fowl

Photograph forthcoming

Warm buff variety of the helmeted guinea.

Buttery-yellow English breed — the friendliest backyard hen.

William Cook's mellow buff-coloured English duck.

Buford Bronze

Photograph forthcoming

Warm bronzed brown peafowl mutation.

White-tailed Bornean pheasant with electric-blue wattles.

Buff-spotted Chinese tragopan; vulnerable in the wild.

Crested grey quail with comma-shaped topknot.

Call Duck

Photograph forthcoming

Compact bantam duck originally bred to lure wild ducks to hunters.

Cameo Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Sex-linked brown mutation — chocolate and cream.

Campine

Photograph forthcoming

Slim Belgian layer with barred plumage and white earlobes.

Catalana del Prat

Photograph forthcoming

Catalan dual-purpose breed with buff plumage and black tail.

Cayuga

Photograph forthcoming

Iridescent beetle-green-black American breed.

National bird of Sri Lanka.

Chantecler

Photograph forthcoming

Canada's only breed — cushion comb, cold-hardy, near extinction.

Charcoal Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Smoky dark autosomal mutation.

Cheer Pheasant

Photograph forthcoming

Long-tailed grassland pheasant of the western Himalayas.

Chinese Bamboo Partridge

Photograph forthcoming

Compact ground bird of bamboo thickets.

Slender, swan-necked goose in brown and white forms.

Endemic Chinese monal of high alpine meadows.

Chocolate Turkey

Photograph forthcoming

Pre-Civil-War southern heritage breed.

Chukar Partridge

Photograph forthcoming

Boldly-flanked rock partridge of dry slopes.

Cinnamon Teal

Photograph forthcoming

Brick-red male teal of the western Americas.

Cochin

Photograph forthcoming

Massive feather-footed breed that sparked the 19th-century 'hen fever'.

Boldly patterned European shelduck.

Congo Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

The only true peafowl of Africa, discovered in 1936.

Japanese endemic with rich copper plumage.

Coral Blue Guinea Fowl

Photograph forthcoming

Sky-blue variety of the helmeted guinea.

Cornish (Indian Game)

Photograph forthcoming

Muscular meat breed with broad shoulders and pea comb.

Smallest true swan — pink bill, white plumage.

Old American sex-linked goose that weeded cotton fields.

Domestic Japanese quail of song and egg production.

Crested Argus

Photograph forthcoming

Holds the record for longest tail feathers of any wild bird.

Domestic duck with a globe of feathers atop the head.

Showy crested Bornean pheasant.

Distinctive crest and white-streaked plumage.

Long-tailed arboreal galliform.

Wild African guinea with curly black topknot.

Crimson-crested partridge of Southeast Asian forests.

Crimson-crested aviary partridge of Malayan forests.

Striking deep-blue and chestnut Bornean pheasant.

Crèvecœur

Photograph forthcoming

Crested French breed with V-comb — one of the oldest in France.

Croad Langshan

Photograph forthcoming

Tall feather-legged Chinese breed; foundation of many modern types.

Cuban tail-swept gamefowl — distinctive 'lobster tail'.

Damascene

Photograph forthcoming

Ancient pigeon with delicate pale plumage.

Delaware

Photograph forthcoming

Mid-century American broiler breed displaced by the Cornish Cross.

Derbyshire Redcap

Photograph forthcoming

English breed famed for its enormous rose comb.

Tiny aviary dove sparkling with white-spangled wings.

Dominique

Photograph forthcoming

Oldest American breed — barred plumage, rose comb, colonial-era.

Five-toed Roman-era breed; the rectangular, low-slung table fowl.

Dragoon

Photograph forthcoming

Stout-bodied English pigeon, foundation of the Modern Show Homer.

True bantam — small but beautifully proportioned.

Dutch Hookbill

Photograph forthcoming

17th-century Dutch breed with a distinctive curved bill.

Critically endangered — possibly extinct in the wild.

Pencilled silver layer with origins in the Nile delta.

Sacred bird of pharaohs — actually a shelduck.

Elegant Crested Tinamou

Photograph forthcoming

Long-crested tinamou of arid Patagonia.

Elegant Quail

Photograph forthcoming

Endemic Mexican quail with forward-tilted crest.

Elliot's Pheasant

Photograph forthcoming

Chestnut-and-white pheasant of subtropical forest.

Towering pure white European table goose.

Brilliant green-winged ground dove.

Scaled silver-and-charcoal goose of the Bering Sea coast.

Empordanesa

Photograph forthcoming

Catalan dark-brown egg breed similar to Marans.

Wattled exhibition pigeon; ancestor of homing breeds.

English Hook Bill

Photograph forthcoming

English curved-bill duck distinct from the Dutch type.

Two-toned pigeon with bold magpie pattern.

English Nun Pigeon

Photograph forthcoming

Variant of the Nun developed in England.

Tall pigeon that inflates its crop into a balloon.

Tiny exhibition pigeon with extreme short face.

Crested, muffed pigeon with deep cooing trumpet voice.

Highland francolin of Ethiopia, introduced to Hawaii.

Elegant East Asian dabbling duck with sickle-shaped tertials.

Fawn & White Runner

Photograph forthcoming

The most familiar colour variety of the Runner duck.

Frizzle

Photograph forthcoming

Plumage curls outward in every direction — a feathering mutation.

Tawny whistling duck of warm wetlands.

Desert cousin of California quail.

Migratory Palearctic teal with bold white eyebrow.

Subtle Vietnamese peacock-pheasant.

German Langshan

Photograph forthcoming

Tall, upright variant of the Chinese Langshan.

German Shield Owl

Photograph forthcoming

Owl-faced pigeon with patterned shield.

Golden Pheasant

Photograph forthcoming

A walking flame — crimson breast and golden nuchal cape.

Massive Bornean pheasant — ocellated wings spread like a fan.

Massive crested neotropical galliform.

Great Tinamou

Photograph forthcoming

Hen-sized tinamou of mature rainforest.

Iridescent green junglefowl of Java and Bali.

Endangered green peafowl — taller, more iridescent.

Grey (Hungarian) Partridge

Photograph forthcoming

The classic European covey partridge.

Sonnerat's junglefowl — silvery hackles with wax-like droplets.

Grey Peacock-Pheasant

Photograph forthcoming

Ocellated subtropical peacock-pheasant.

Ancestor of all European domestic geese.

Sleek pencilled or spangled breed with rose comb.

Hazel Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Walnut-toned colour mutation.

Helmeted Curassow

Photograph forthcoming

Curassow with a stone-like blue casque.

Iridescent rainbow pheasant — national bird of Nepal.

Holland

Photograph forthcoming

American breed bred from Dutch stock for white-egg production.

North American sawbill with a spectacular fan crest.

Endangered cloud-forest guan with red spike on head.

Tiny dabbling duck of African wetlands.

Five-toed crested French breed with mottled plumage.

Bar-tailed mountain pheasant.

Pale frosty plumage in icy grey.

The classic blue peacock of art and mythology.

Indian Fantail Pigeon

Photograph forthcoming

Thirty-two tail feathers held in a peacock fan.

Upright walking duck — 'wine bottles on legs'.

Iowa Blue

Photograph forthcoming

Despite the name, a chestnut-and-silver American heritage breed.

Auto-sexing Swedish breed laying green eggs.

Ixworth

Photograph forthcoming

White English dual-purpose breed developed in the 1930s.

Jacobin Pigeon

Photograph forthcoming

Pigeon hooded by a cape of feathers around the head.

Jade Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Pastel green-tinted mutation.

Short-legged true bantam with arching upright tail.

Wild ancestor of the domestic Coturnix.

Second-oldest American breed; foundation for Jersey Giant and Plymouth Rock.

Jersey Buff

Photograph forthcoming

Restored colonial-era buff turkey.

Jersey Giant

Photograph forthcoming

The largest purebred chicken — gentle giants in black, blue, or white.

Almost flightless endemic — pale grey with red bill.

Variable Himalayan pheasant in many subspecies.

Prolific khaki layer — the world's leading egg duck.

King Pigeon

Photograph forthcoming

Heavy American utility pigeon.

Smallest quail in the world — jewel-toned aviary bird.

Ko Shamo

Photograph forthcoming

Miniature Japanese gamefowl — sculptural and intense.

Chestnut-streaked pheasant of high coniferous forest.

Kraienköppe (Twentse)

Photograph forthcoming

Gamefowl-derived breed with walnut comb and silver-pencilled plumage.

The 'devil bird' — V-comb French breed near extinction.

Iridescent green crown, scarlet crest, ribbon-barred tail.

Lakenvelder

Photograph forthcoming

'Shadow on a sheet' — white body with black hackle and tail.

Functionally extinct USDA-developed white breed.

Soft dove-grey variety of the helmeted guinea.

Lavender Orpington

Photograph forthcoming

Soft self-blue Orpington variant prized for plumage.

Liège Fighter

Photograph forthcoming

Massive Belgian gamefowl — among the largest of all fighting breeds.

Light Sussex

Photograph forthcoming

White-bodied Sussex with black hackle and tail.

Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove

Photograph forthcoming

Philippine endemic with a vivid blood-red breast patch.

Striking black-and-white Welsh layer.

Malay

Photograph forthcoming

Tallest of all chicken breeds — three-feather walnut comb.

Malayan Peacock-Pheasant

Photograph forthcoming

Spotted peacock-pheasant with ocellated tail.

Malines (Mechelen Cuckoo)

Photograph forthcoming

Heavy Belgian table breed in cuckoo plumage.

Ancestral wild duck of all domestic non-Muscovy breeds.

Painterly perching duck — Asian symbol of marital fidelity.

Marsh Daisy

Photograph forthcoming

Rose-combed English breed nearly lost in the 20th century.

Tiny white turkey developed at UMass.

Midnight Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Deepened sex-linked dark mutation.

Endemic Taiwanese pheasant of high mountain forest.

Minorca

Photograph forthcoming

Largest Mediterranean breed — huge red comb and white earlobes.

Modena

Photograph forthcoming

Compact globular pigeon of Modena, Italy.

Sculpted exhibition gamefowl — long legs, tight feathering.

Boldly harlequin-patterned ground-dweller.

Mountain Quail

Photograph forthcoming

Largest American quail; long straight plume.

The only domestic duck not descended from the mallard.

Orange-billed swan of European parks and palaces.

Nagasaki Bantam (Chabo Onagadori)

Photograph forthcoming

Long-tailed Japanese bantam combining Chabo and Onagadori traits.

Featherless neck mutation; surprisingly hardy and productive.

Namaqua Dove

Photograph forthcoming

Long-tailed African dove with black mask in males.

Nankin

Photograph forthcoming

One of the oldest true bantams in Europe — buff-coloured.

Steel-grey heritage breed from New England.

Nēnē (Hawaiian Goose)

Photograph forthcoming

Hawaii's state bird, brought back from the brink of extinction.

Faster-maturing American breed selected from Rhode Island Reds.

Nicobar Pigeon

Photograph forthcoming

Iridescent metallic pigeon — closest living relative of the dodo.

Birchen English breed once nearly extinct.

Northern Bobwhite

Photograph forthcoming

Iconic eastern North American quail with whistled call.

Elegant long-tailed dabbling duck.

Nun Pigeon

Photograph forthcoming

Hood-marked pigeon resembling a nun's habit.

Wild Mesoamerican species with iridescent ocelli.

Japanese long-tailed bantam — sweeping ground-length plumes.

Old English Game

Photograph forthcoming

Ancient British gamefowl — the foundation of countless exhibition breeds.

Spangled pheasant-pattern English breed.

Old German Owl

Photograph forthcoming

Frilled owl pigeon — gentle and quiet.

Japanese Natural Monument — tail feathers grow continuously for years.

Opal Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Soft pastel mutation in milky lavender.

Short-faced Turkish pigeon with frilled breast feathering.

Forest goose of the Amazon basin.

Orpington

Photograph forthcoming

Plush, deep-bodied English breed in many colours.

Cook's buff and blue Orpington-line ducks.

Iridescent blue-green endemic of Palawan.

Paradise Shelduck

Photograph forthcoming

Sexually dimorphic New Zealand shelduck.

Pavlovskaya

Photograph forthcoming

Crested Russian breed — feathered legs and spangled plumage.

Peach Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Soft peach-cream sex-linked dilution.

Spotted like porcelain — the original poultry alarm.

Round, footed true bantam — a globe of feathers.

Pekin Duck

Photograph forthcoming

The white commercial duck of restaurant fame.

Penedesenca

Photograph forthcoming

Catalan dark-egg breed with carnation comb.

Phoenix

Photograph forthcoming

Long-tailed exhibition breed bred from Onagadori stock.

Pied Imperial Pigeon

Photograph forthcoming

Stately white-and-black canopy dove.

Patchwork of blue and white feathering.

Pilgrim Goose

Photograph forthcoming

Auto-sexing American breed — males white, females grey.

Noisy arboreal galliform of tropical scrub.

Plumed Guinea Fowl

Photograph forthcoming

Smooth-plumed forest guinea of the Congo basin.

Polish (Polverara)

Photograph forthcoming

Famous crested breed with a globe of head feathers.

Pomeranian Goose

Photograph forthcoming

Pied saddle-back goose from the Baltic coast.

Purple Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Sex-linked dark royal mutation.

Racing Homer

Photograph forthcoming

The athletic racing pigeon descended from the Carrier.

Small striped quail of the monsoon plains.

Razor-billed Curassow

Photograph forthcoming

Curassow with bony red bill ornament.

Wild ancestor of the domestic chicken.

Strikingly patterned Siberian goose, vulnerable in the wild.

European diving duck with a tomato-red head and bill.

Red-legged Partridge

Photograph forthcoming

Iberian partridge with red legs and bold flank bars.

Holds the world record for longest tail feathers (>2m).

America's most successful dual-purpose breed.

White rose-combed cousin of the famous Red.

Soft-cooing dove of African woodlands.

The familiar 'common pheasant' — ancient game bird.

Ringed Teal

Photograph forthcoming

Small perching duck — pinkish breast, chestnut back.

Rock Partridge

Photograph forthcoming

Mountain partridge of Mediterranean ranges.

Roman Tufted

Photograph forthcoming

Small white goose with a forward-tilted feather tuft.

True bantam — the breed that defined the type.

Miniature white Arctic goose.

South American diving duck — males with brilliant red bill.

Massive mallard-patterned French table duck.

Rouen Clair

Photograph forthcoming

Lighter, more elongated French selection of the Rouen.

Ornamental white-and-black heritage turkey.

Royal Purple Guinea Fowl

Photograph forthcoming

Iridescent dark variety with violet sheen.

Rust-orange shelduck of Central Asian steppes.

Muffed, bearded, walnut-combed cold-climate breed.

Saipan Jungle Fowl

Photograph forthcoming

Towering Pacific gamefowl up to a metre tall.

Salmon Faverolles

Photograph forthcoming

French five-toed, muffed, bearded breed; salmon plumage is iconic.

Plain dark blue endemic of Sumatra.

Satyr Tragopan

Photograph forthcoming

Crimson tragopan with electric-blue facial lappets.

Saxony Duck

Photograph forthcoming

Large German dual-purpose duck in restored Saxony plumage.

Cotton-top quail of arid grasslands.

Slate-blue crowned pigeon with chestnut breast.

Sclater's Monal

Photograph forthcoming

Crestless monal of remote eastern ranges.

Scots Dumpy

Photograph forthcoming

Short-legged Scottish heritage breed.

Cuckoo-barred Scottish breed dating to the 1500s.

Curled-feathered ornamental goose — a cascade of plumes.

Hen-feathered true bantam in laced gold or silver.

Arid-zone partridge of Iran and Pakistan.

Serama

Photograph forthcoming

World's smallest chicken — upright stance, tiny presence.

Shamo

Photograph forthcoming

Powerful Japanese gamefowl — upright, sparsely feathered.

Shetland Duck

Photograph forthcoming

Hardy black-and-white Scottish island landrace.

National bird of Thailand.

Distinctive cup-shaped crown comb — Sicilian heritage breed.

Silk-like plumage, black skin, five toes — the imperial ornamental.

Reginald Appleyard's elegant silver-and-chestnut breed.

Silver Bantam (Appleyard Bantam)

Photograph forthcoming

Miniature version of the Silver Appleyard.

Silvery-white pheasant with black underparts and red face.

Silver-Laced Wyandotte

Photograph forthcoming

American breed with intricate lacing in multiple colours.

Slate Turkey

Photograph forthcoming

Soft blue-grey heritage breed.

Smew

Photograph forthcoming

Diminutive 'panda' merganser of the Old World.

White Arctic goose with black wingtips.

Alpine partridge above the tree line.

South African Shelduck

Photograph forthcoming

Grey-headed southern African shelduck.

Spalding Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Indian Blue × Green Peafowl hybrid — tall, vivid.

Speckled Sussex

Photograph forthcoming

Friendly mahogany-and-white English breed.

Heritage bronze foundation breed.

Steinbacher

Photograph forthcoming

German fighting goose with distinctive serrated bill.

Australian native quail of grain fields.

Crested Austrian table breed once served at Habsburg courts.

Sultan

Photograph forthcoming

Five-toed, crested, feather-legged 'Serai-Tavuk' — chicken of the sultans.

Iridescent green-black gamefowl — sweeping multiple-tail.

Sumatra Bantam

Photograph forthcoming

Bantam version of the iridescent Sumatra.

Swedish Flower Hen (Skånsk Blommehöna)

Photograph forthcoming

Mille-fleur Swedish landrace recovered from near extinction.

Endemic Taiwanese pheasant — vivid blue and chestnut.

Taupe Peafowl

Photograph forthcoming

Greyish-brown subtle mutation.

Orange-and-white spotted Himalayan tragopan.

Slate-grey eared pheasant of the Tibetan plateau.

Massive dewlapped French breed used for foie gras.

Heavy meat-type Naked Neck developed in the Hapsburg lands.

Largest swan in the world; nearly extinct in the 1930s.

Tufted Buff Goose

Photograph forthcoming

Tufted variety of the American Buff.

World's largest pigeon — turkey-sized with lacy crest.

Closely related to Edwards's, equally imperiled.

Vorwerk

Photograph forthcoming

Belted German breed — buff body with black hackle and tail.

Most striking guinea — cobalt breast, hackle cape.

Leslie Bonnet's Welsh layer — refined Khaki Campbell sport.

Dutch breed laying speckled terracotta eggs.

Auto-sexing English breed nearly lost in the 20th century.

Soft blue-grey crowned pigeon.

Endangered crimson tragopan of Pakistan / India.

Wheaten Marans

Photograph forthcoming

Lighter-feathered Marans, often considered the breed's original colour.

White Eared Pheasant

Photograph forthcoming

White pheasant with red facial skin and feathered 'ears'.

Pure white domestic guinea variety.

Foundation of all modern white commercial turkeys.

The world's most prolific commercial white-egg layer.

Leucistic Indian Blue — pure white with blue eyes.

White-breasted Guinea Fowl

Photograph forthcoming

Endangered forest guinea with bright red head.

Striking white-faced Mediterranean — among the oldest in Spain.

White-Faced Whistling Duck

Photograph forthcoming

Long-necked whistling duck with mask-like white face.

White-Laced Red Cornish

Photograph forthcoming

Striking white-laced colour variety of the Cornish.

Whooper Swan

Photograph forthcoming

Migratory yellow-billed swan of northern Europe.

North American perching duck of equal beauty to the Mandarin.

Bold yellow-throated savannah francolin.

Yokohama

Photograph forthcoming

Long-tailed exhibition breed — Onagadori-derived.

Zebra Dove

Photograph forthcoming

Small barred dove prized in Asia for its song.