Characteristics of the Fantail
as compared to Wild type
The wild type is exemplified by the four species of Jungle fowl, with emphasis on the red jungle fowl (which is the standard "wild type", but since all chickens derive through hybridization of the Jungle fowl species, in reality, all four could be considered "wild type").
Red Jungle Fowl pair, showing the horizontal tail angle with a tail that is two blades or segments, each of 5 to 7 main retrices (tail feathers) that are side-by-side, with feather edges perpendicular to horizontal, top edge toward the sky and bottom edge toward the ground. The tail resembles a closed fan or close hand, and may be referred to as a "whip tail", in overall effect, with the tail appearing narrow and only one or two feathers being obvious and generally visible from the side view. When viewed from behind, the two tails touch at top and bottom, or perhaps open only slightly at the bottom edge of the two tails. Such birds can usually open their tails to some extent, fanning it somewhat by spreading the main retrices apart partially and/or also spreading the two tail sections apart at the bottom. Such behavior is often seen in whip tailed hens when they go broody. This whip tailed phenotype is seen in many breeds and is a breed trait of several breeds of chickens including the Modern Games and is common in many Mediterraneans and Long tailed breeds.
The following are random pictures of Jungle fowl I have found online over the years. These all demonstrate the wild type whip tail. Some Jungle fowl will show more fanning to each individual blade or tail segment, while the tail angle can be a bit more above the horizontal in wild type tails with more spread to the sections, but they rarely show much openness at the bottom of the tails as viewed from behind. The fact that the Jungle fowls themselves seem to have some slight variation in tail angle and spread indicates the presence of genetic variability within the genus that allows for plasticity in phenotype and the selection of much more extreme phenotypes in domestic lines.
Red Jungle Fowl hen
Sri Lankan Jungle Fowl male
An excellent shot of a Gray Jungle Fowl male, showing the whip tail and how the two segments of the tails are touching and not at all spread or separated.
Gray Jungle Fowl male side shot
For comparison, a Ring-necked Pheasant. Also a whip tail, but the feathers are oriented horizontally so that the feather edges are parallel to the ground. This is the most common feather orientation in most birds and in many Gallinaceous birds as well.
Here in turkeys we see the same horizontal feather orientation as in the pheasant above.
The next group of pictures are of various chickens showing the wild type whip tail, some with higher tail angles. In some instances this is a breed trait, while in others, it is just the expression of the individual bird. These pictures were found over years of scouring the internet and are for educational purposes herein.
Old English Game bantam hen
A Cornish showing the typical whip tail of the breed.
Modern Games, showing the typical whip ail of the breed. Picture from Feathersite.
A Serama male showing a very upright but nearly closed whip tail.
A Japanese bantam (Chabo) showing the upright, nearly whip tail.
A pair of Porcelain D'Uccle showing upright tails that are closed and whip-like.
The next two pictures show the tail that has the higher tail angle with the two tails side-by-side and clamped together, but instead of being the wild type whip, the tail is now two spread fans that are not open from behind, but appear spread and fanned from the side.
The next pictures show a slight modification on the above, where the tail is two separate sections side-by-side that are fanned and closed at the top, but somewhat open at the bottom. The level of openness at the bottom can vary from slight (10-15 degrees), to considerable (100-130 degrees, above about 130 degrees of openness, we are beginning to see the true fanned tail).
So what we see above is that wild type tails are low angled and whipped with no spreading, either from the side or from behind. The fantailed phenotype can occur with lower, medium or high tail angles, though it is perhaps most striking and obvious on the high tail angles. The key to the fantail is that first, the two sides of the tail open up, fanning out to make two side-by-side fans that are compressed together. The next change is that those two side-by-side sections open out at the base, often achieving a full 180 degree flatness, though lower levels down to about 130 degrees will still be visually obvious "fantails". The final point is that when the tail opens at the bottom to form the flattened, single broad fan, the feathers actually shift in the socket turning from the wild type vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation that completes the look, making a flat fanned tail in which the feathers are all turned in the orientation of the fanning and the entire tail is wide and spread. Here is a series of pictures showing the changes from wild type to the most extreme versions of fantailed.
Wild type whip tail at horizontal angle
Whip tail at vertical angle
Tail fanned but not opened when viewed from behind. Note individual tail feathers are oriented with edges vertical.
High tail angle with each side spread and partially open from behind
High tail angle with each side spread and partially open from behind, more open than the hen above
Completely opened fantail at wildtype low angle. Note that the individual tail feathers are turned in the socket to align with the tail and so sickles curve over on a flat plain rather than vertically from the side as in wildtype tails.
Fanned tail as a medium angle
Fully fanned tail on a Serama. Note the tail is at a high, vertical angle, the two sides of the tail are joined into one open plain and the feathers are turned in the socket to flow with the orientation of the plain of the two tails, now joined into one large, single fan.
A nearly fully fanned tail, open at about 130 degree. High angle, opened segments, nearly flat plain to the two tails and feathers are turned in the socket, though the curve of the sickles has not reoriented in all the sickles as in the Satsuma-dori above.
Langshan showing the high angle and fully fanned tail along with feathers reoriented in the socket and the curve changed to run on the flat plain of the sickles, rather than on the vertical as in regular rooster sickles.
