Poultry
Phoenix
C tier
Phoenix is a European long-tailed ornamental breed developed from Japanese Onagadori and related longtail stock, selected for elegant carriage, colourful plumage, and extended saddle and tail feathers. Birds are light-framed and active, yielding small lean carcasses with firm texture when used for food. Table use remains secondary to exhibition: slow cooking, broth, and small-portion roast or grill dishes suit the meat’s low fat and denser grain. Specialty farms and fanciers occasionally supply birds to chefs exploring heritage Japanese-influenced poultry flavours.
Also known as: Phönix / Phoenix, Longtail ancestral types, Phoenix, Phoenix
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Japanese longtail fowl genetics that would underpin Phoenix were maintained in specialised garden flocks.
German breeders developed the Phoenix as a practical longtail exhibition breed from imported Japanese stock.
Colour varieties and feather-length standards for Phoenix were codified in European poultry associations.
American recognition and imports expanded Phoenix breeding beyond continental Europe.
International fancy poultry trade stabilised Silver, Golden, and other Phoenix colour lines for show.