Southern California Color Pigeon Club
SUPPORTING COLOR PIGEONS IN CALIFORNIA, USA AND THE WORLD SINCE 1972
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Standard for Starling Pigeons
Translated from 1954 German standard by H. P. Macklin

Black White Barred Starling


To see colors above click thumbnails to enlarge
Origin:
 This variety is very old and was being bred in South Germany and Thuringia since the 1600’s. Originally the fanciers of Thuringia preferred the smooth head Starling and Blue was popular also. In S. Germany and especially in Schwaben the blacks were recognized only and preferred in peak and shell crests. Today one finds in the South many smooth headed but the blues are still to be found mainly in Thuringia.
General Impression:
 The Starling resembles the common field pigeon, only more slender, yet stronger in form
Race features:
  
Head:
 Longly round, lightly arched. Smooth head or shell-peak crested.
Eyes:
 Dark in the white-head varieties; fire red in full colored heads. Cere plum colored in dark heads and flesh colored to red in white heads.
Beak:
 Dark except in monk marked which is flesh colored; also upper beak light, lower beak dark in the white heads.
Neck:
 Medium long, full, carried forward from shoulders..
Back:
 Wide at shoulders, lightly tapering downward.
Wings:
 nicely closed.
Tail:
 Closed and just a trifle longer than flight tips.
Legs:
 Short, fully clean legged with black nails; monk marked, light nails.
Feather:
 Full and thick, laying smoothly.
Colors:
 Black, Blue, red, yellow. In blacks; white heads, white tails, monk marked.White laced also with white head or white tailed or monk marked, Black laced also in white head, white tail or monk marked.
Color and Design:
 1. Blacks, ground color deep black with green sheen, without brown or streaks in flights or tail. Neck, green sheen. An important marking is the half moon on the breast, which can be grey to pure white; the feathers here are white tipped with a fine black greenish border. The moon design should be 3 cm. wide, sharply outlined without any breaks or gaps in entirety, the end points on both sides not to go behind the neck. The half moon should not stray, color wise into the small of the neck or lower breast. Bars are pure white, narrow and unbroken.
2. Blue, ground color pure blue as clean and light as possible. Star or moon design same as for blacks. Bars pure white with thin black edging, narrow and unbroken.
3. Red & Yellow, ground color red or yellow, moon and bars as in blacks.
4. White-heads (Blasse). Color and design same as blacks. Appearance more robust. A wide black shell crest evenly borders the white top skull in the back. The white of the head is on and even line with the beak corners, thru the middle of the eye to the crest. The white must be as wide as the crest in the rear of head. Also between the beak corners and eyes a black fleck in the white is considered a special beauty point but is not demanded.
5. White-tails. Ground color and design same as in Blacks, #1. The 12 white tail feathers and top covering feathers of tail are white. The under tail wedge is black and is an important feature. Over the wattle is a pea sized white spot on the forehead, the snip or spot.
6. Monked. Ground color and design same as blacks, #1 except for the usual monk design. The head has a pointed crest which should set high. The white head design starts at the peak crest in a sharp, even and in a curving line go under the eye by 3/4 to 1 cm. and cut thru the underhalf of the throat. This border line should not be too high or too low cut. Seven to 9 flights must be white as well as the tail, over and under including the wedge feathers under the tail. Some white in the heel joint is not to be contested.
7. Marmorstar (laced). Ground color same as blacks, #1. The moon can be narrower and higher on the chest. The wing shield has a triangular check which appears on the right side of the quill of every feather in the shield and is white. These checks should be uniform over entire wing area. The flights show the pearl marking on each tip.
8. Marmorstar Whitehead (Blasse). Same as #7 except with white head.
9. Marmorstar Whitetail. Same as #7 but with white tail as in #5.
10. Marmorstar Monk. Same as #7 but with monked mark as in #6.
11. Silverlaced. Ground color same as blacks, #1, but the moon design can be some 15mm. wider, white with a black glimmering band that goes around the neck and in the back blends in with the heart design. The wing shield is white with very regular black edging, which forms on the ends a every shield feather a black fleck, arrow shaped. The heart and upper back should show the same design. However, this is mostly still referred to as edging. Pearl marked flights.
12. Silverlaced whitehead (Blasse) color and design as #11 the whitehead as #4
13. Silverlaced whitetail. color and design same as #11; whitetail design and snip as in #5.
14. Silverlaced Monk. Color and design same as #11; monk marking as in #6. Blue tone in belly color permitted.
Bad Faults:
 Feathers on legs or toes. In blacks faded or violet color, rust in moon and bars; faded flights, tail or wedge under tail. Off colored head. In blues gray blue color, light or faded flights, white in belly, back or tail wedge broken or too wide bars. Marmostar; same as blacks; no pearl design in flights. Silverlaced; uneven color, grizzling in head color, laced shanks. rust or sooty color in shields. Reedy color in flights, none or too large plearl in design of flights. Whiteheads (Blassen); Incorrect head design. Dark upper beak, Light lower beak. Bearded; yellow or broken eyes. Thin narrow crest. Whitetails; No snip. white or faded tail edge feathers. Less than 12 white tail feathers.
Monkmarked; white in vent, colored rump, less than 7 white flights. spotted or dark beak. Light or broken eyes. Open or broken crests.
Order of evaluation:
 General Impression - body form - color - markings - bars or spangling - - bill color - eye color.
Band size:
 7