Breeding Better Looking Birds Part 3 - Second Set Of Feather Characteristics - Feather Length

Besides having pigment to the tip as in yellow feathering or not having pigment through to the feather tip as in buff feathers, feathers vary considerable in length from very short to very long.  When they are too long the tails are very long and the secondary flights are so long that they are not in line with the other wing feathers and even the body has long look when you judge total length from top of head to end of their tail.

Note the Secondary Flights are too long and not in line with other wing feathers

Look at the wing feathers certainly not in line!

Check out more information on long secondary flights and how to correct, see canary tales blog post  titled Wait Till Next Year September 14, 2009.

This Irish Fancy, a personable bird with an attitude, has short tight feathers so  that it  looks like a painted portrait rather than a photo of a live bird! Great feather texture too!

Very short feathers can give the feathers a very tight hugging the body look almost as tight as seen in some finches.