Pigeon glossary

The words Egyptian fanciers actually use — from kantara and abshad to ring and race — with their English equivalents and a plain definition.

14 terms

A

Ablaq (pied)الأبلقColours & markings: A classic Egyptian pied pattern: white body with colour on the wing butts, cheeks and sometimes tail. It branches into many colours and forms one of the main Ghuzar famil…
Ash-redالأحمرColours & markings: One of the three base pigments (ash-red), dominant over blue and sex-linked. Seen in Egyptian varieties such as ablaq ahmar and the red homer.
Azazi (blue)الأزازيColours & markings: The wild-type blue-grey colour of pigeons; Egyptian fanciers call it azazi (glass-coloured). It appears with a bar or checker pattern depending on genetics.

Barالبار (الشريطان)Colours & markings: Two dark stripes across the wing shield — the simplest pattern and the wild type; genetically recessive to checker and dominant to barless.
Barlessالجناح النظيفColours & markings: A wing shield with no bars or checks — the most recessive pattern and relatively rare; sought in some European breeds and seen in Egyptian 'rayeq' varieties.
Black (spread)الأسودColours & markings: Produced by the spread gene covering the whole pattern with dark pigment over blue. A glossy, even black is wanted; dull or brownish black is a colour fault.

CheckerالمشجرColours & markings: A wing pattern of dark checks instead of bars, ranging from light to dark (T-pattern); dominant over bar.

KeshkالكشكColours & markings: One of the main Egyptian Ghuzar families, known for a short full face, with colour-named varieties (red keshk, azazi keshk, hungary keshk…). Here 'keshk' names the breed,…

Masood (dark-headed)المسودColours & markings: An Egyptian pattern defined by a dark head or neck on a lighter body; its sub-names (balaha, tiltein, khanafis, fallahi) describe how much colour and where.
Mizarzar (splashed)المزرزرColours & markings: A splashed bird — irregular coloured patches on a light body — named by colour in Egyptian usage (green, yellow, sheesh).

Pattern / markingsالنقشColours & markings: How colour is distributed on the body, as opposed to the colour itself: pied, dark-headed, magpie, moorhead… Egyptian fanciers often name varieties by pattern, and judges…

Safi (self/clean)الصافيColours & markings: A bird of one clean, unmarked colour. Many Egyptian varieties carry the name with a colour qualifier, each with its own colour standard.
Sukkari (sugar-dust)السكريColours & markings: An Egyptian pattern looking like the bird was dusted with sugar — fine white flecks on a coloured ground; sub-names describe how dense the flecking is.

Yellow (recessive red dilute)الأصفرColours & markings: A pale golden colour produced by dilution of red. 'Paper yellow' is a prized clean shade in some Egyptian breeds; dilution itself is a sex-linked recessive trait.