American fantail pigeons (also known as American Fantail Doves) are one of the six types of fantail pigeons. They were developed by cross-breeding Indian fantails with Giant Hungarian, Giant Runt, and King pigeons. This is why they have an extraordinary resemblance with Indian fantails.
Like all fantails, American Fantails have a huge fan-like heavy tail. They walk on their toes with their chest pulled up, their head pulled towards their tail, and their neck slightly vibrating. American Fantails have an aggressive look on their face.
| Pigeon Breed | American Fantail Pigeon |
|---|---|
| Breed Speciality | Huge size Fan-shaped Tail Crest and Muffs |
| Origin | USA & Pakistan |
| Ancestor Breeds | Indian Fantail Giant Hungarian Giant Runt |
| Tail Feathers | 30-45 |
| Foot-feathers (in) | 2-4 |
| Crest Type | Peak/Shell |
| Length (in) | 12-15 |
| Weight (g) | 450-600 |
| Life Span (years) | 10-15 |
| Flight | Low |
| Breeding | Average |
| Availability (USA) | Rare |
| Pair Price (USD) | $200-300 |
Since American fantail pigeons descended from Giant Hungarian pigeons, their feathers are large and strong. Typically, their tail is fan-shaped like Indian Fantails. The earliest American fantails did not exactly look like Indian fantails, their tails were titled towards the ground. Even today, some American fantails have a similar tail structure but such birds are not considered up to the mark.
American Fantails have a variety of colors. The most common colors are
- Tiger
- Black
- White
- Red
- Silver
- Blue
- Yellow
- Golden
American Fantail Pigeon Flight
American Fantail pigeons are not good at flying. Their fan-like heavy tail and overall weight do not allow long flights. Their flying ability is limited, they cannot fly at height or for a long duration. Their body weight is another factor that makes it hard to fly.
American Fantail Pigeon History
The recorded history of American Fantail pigeons starts from the 20th century. This breed is believed to have originated not more than a hundred years ago. The earliest American Fantails looked more like Giant Hungarians than Fantails. Decades of refinement beautified this breed and today, the American Fantail pigeon looks like a huge Indian Fantail pigeon.
Some pigeon fanciers believe that this breed actually originated in Pakistan and was given the name “American Fantails” to create a strong market value. But in reality, American Fantails originated in the USA. The development of this breed accidentally started but later, pigeon breeders carefully improved this breed.
Today In the USA, American fantails rarely exist and the English fantails are more common. This is why, many people believe that the American Fantails are the same as English fantails; which is not true.
American Fantail Pigeon Breed Development
The breed development started when an American zoo was transporting crocodiles from India to America by sea. As the journey was long, the transporters had to bring some food for the crocodiles. The Indian Fantails were available in abundance, the transporters boarded several Indian Fantails on the ship. Some of the birds survived during the journey and reached the American zoo.
The Indian Fantails were kept with other fancy pigeon breeds like the Giant Hungarian and King pigeons. Since the other pigeons have ordinary straight tails, the initial cross-breeding resulted in Fantails having Hungarian-like body structure, face, crest, and foot feathers and their tail slightly pulled up. But still, the breed was not close to the modern American Fantails.
With time, more and more pigeons got interested in these birds and they further cross-bred these birds with Indian Fantails. It is said that the female birds from the Fantail-Hungarian-King bloodline were cross-bred with Indian Fantail males. Resultantly, the tail shape improved but the fan-like structure was not achieved.
Later, some of these American Fantails were brought back to India and Pakistan where the breed was further beautified through cross-breeding with high-quality Giant Hungarian, Giant Runt, and Indian Fantails. This is why there are two major American Fantail bloodlines available in Pakistan. One of the bloodlines was developed using Giant Hungarians and that is why it has a prominent shell crest and long muffs. The other bloodline was developed using Giant Runt, it has a slightly disturbing peak crest and short muffs but long wings and tail feathers.
After generations of cross-breeding, the breeders finally developed more than ten colors and succeeded in developing a proper fan-like tail structure. This is why many fanciers claim that the true origin of American Fantails is Pakistan. No doubt, the Pakistani breeders played a vital role in breed development but the American Fantail’s size was achieved in the US.
Today, American Fantails are used for further beautifying Indian Fantail working lines, increasing their size and balance.
Are American Fantail Pigeons Good Breeders?
American Fantail Pigeons are average breeders, they breed 3-4 times a year; lay two eggs in each breed. However, with the help of fosters, American Fantails can be bred 6-8 times a year.
American Fantails also take good care of their chicks but are not as good as other pigeon breeds. Oftentimes, the chicks have to be hand-fed. Mostly American Fantail breeders raise chicks on hand-feed as it improves chicks’ growth and the parent birds also breed again sooner.
Where to Buy American Fantail Pigeons?
They are available in Pakistan, USA, and India. But If you are looking to buy pure American Fantail pigeons, you might not find them easily. Years of cross-breeding have deteriorated pure breed, very few breeders own a pure breed. However, you can find fancy pigeons online at pet stores, Facebook groups, YouTube, and pigeon websites.
What is the Price of American Fantail Pigeons?
As mentioned earlier, the American Fantails were not always the same as what they look like today. There are certain old bloodlines of American Fantails being bred that do not have a proper fan-shaped tail, crest, and foot feathers. Similarly, many breeders have cross-bred American Fantails with Indian Fantails pigeons which have resulted in both good-sized and small-sized birds.
This is why American Fantails exist in both pure bloodlines and deteriorated bloodlines. The price of American Fantail pigeons depends on their size, tail size, tail span, foot-feather size, crest, color, age, and breeding history.
Internation Price of American Fantail Pigeon
Internationally, the per pair price of a good-quality American Fantail pigeon is around $200-300. The price varies from country to country. American Fantails are expensive all over the World except in Pakistan and India. Many USA-based fancy pigeon sellers import American Fantails from Pakistan and India.
American Fantail Pigeon Price in Pakistan
American Fantails are available in almost all major cities but if you are looking to buy pure quality American Fantails, you might not find them easily. Many breeders cross-breed American Fantails with Indian Fantails and resultantly the bird-size declines. However, the average price of an American Fantail pigeon pair is $100-130.
American Fantail Pigeon Price in India
Like Pakistan, Indian breeders have deteriorated the pure American Fantail pigeon breed and a proper-sized pair is hard to find. The approximate cost of American Fantail pigeons is $100-130 per pair.
Final Thoughts
Even though this breed originated accidentally, it has become one of the most beautiful fancy pigeon breeds all over the world.
Bilal is a freelance writer and a content creator. He has been in the pigeon hobby for over 15 years. His deep interest in pigeon keeping enabled him to explore the development of various pigeon breeds and share them with the community.
Pigeons are my favourite animal of all time