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Sprinkle (Stipple) at the Domestic Pigeon

 The first who analyzed the genetics of the 'gesprenkelte' domestic pigeon were the Norwegian scientists Christie and Wriedt. The today Brown- and Yellow Stipper of the Danish Tumblers were called 'Brown-Blacksprinkled' and 'Light Brown Greysprinkled'. In Danish they are named today 'brune Staenkede' and 'gule Staenkede'.

(Light Brown Greysprinkled at the age of 1 and 3 years respectively)

Quelle: Christie und Wriedt 1925

Danish Grey Stipper (gra Staenked) for the authors who published 1925 in German language white blacksprinkled. They also mentioned the darkening with age and demonstrated that in the photo of a 'white blacksprinkle' at different age.

(White blacksprinkle after the first molt and two years later)

Quelle: Christie und Wriedt 1925

The authors also saw the great variability of the colorations and the existence of many intermediate types. Those between brown, yellow and white blacksprinkled in Germany are standardized as 'multi-colored' (Vielfarbige). The black stipple or sprinkle effect genetically is caused by the stipple trait St that was introduced by outcrosses upon English Short Faced Almond tumblers before 1900.

We may first separate those sprinkled pigeons that have a brown/yellow or almond-colored ground, those are

-        Almonds of the English Short Faced Tümmler with almondnut brown/yellow ground and

-        Multicolored with less requirements at the ground, some yellow, however is necessary to qualify for this group, otherwise it is a sprinkle.

In the USA both groups are called Almonds, the first might be called 'classical almonds', the second group almonds or light almonds, not to say 'Almond Light'.

English Short Faced Tumbler cocks almond

German Modena multi-colored with the accepted variation in the coloration at a German exhibition

For Multi-colored and Almonds black sprinkles are required in the standards, for sprinkles that attribute is part of the colorations' name:

-        White with black sprinkles are called Blacksprinkle and as dilutes Dunsprinkles

-        White with blue sprinkles are called  Bluesprinkle,

-        White with red and yellow sprinkles are Red- and Yellowsprinkle, better would be to say dominant red and dominant yellow sprinkles, since they have a dominant red base color. Recessive red with the St-gene become DeRoy instead of stipple. Many supposed red sprinkle shown in the past did not even had the St-gene but another gene combination. Finally we distinguish also at the shows

-        Silverwhite with black sprinkles as Silversprinkle.

At Oriental Rollers the term Sprenkel or Sprinkle is common, at Danish Tumblers the term Stipper or Stipple, Danish 'Staenkede' from which the symbol St was derived.  

Beginners often speak from black almonds instead of white blacksprinkle or stipper. How could a white/black pigeons show the almond color, and if it does not, why should it be called so?

Oriental Roller and Pomeranian Eye Crested Highflier blacksprinkle

 Canario-Pouter bluesprinkle and bluesprinkle cock from the author's loft

Red (dominant red) sprinkle from the author's loft and Oriental Roller silversprinkle at the VDT-Show in Erfurt 2016

Silversprinkle at a Lipsia-Show and silversprinkle Giant Homer shown as blacksprinkle at the VDT-Show in Erfurt 2016 as a new coloration

Black-, Dun-, Red- and Yellowsprinkles got their name from the coloration of their sprinkles at a white ground. Silversprinkle, however, got their designation from the white-silver ground, the sprinkles in reality or also blue/black.

Danish Grey Stipples are not quite identical with Blacksprinkles of other breeds like Oriental Roller. At breast and neck they shall have a silky reddish glance. Finally we should mention that some faded Texan cocks may appear identical to some blue and black sprinkles. Also the difference or common elements of silver sprinkles to some Spread Qualmond is not yet settled.

At the VDT-Show in Erfurt nice Giant Homers were shown as a new creation to get standardized. They were still discussed in the show report at this homepage. One of the pigeons is shown above again. Unfortunately they were announced as blacksprenkle and also accepted from the judges as such. The photo of one of them in the German Geflügel-Zeitung with the wrong designation as blacksprinkle is an irritating signal to the fancy. The difference between silver- and blacksprenkle seems to be not as easy as it is believed.

A discussion of the genetics of the different sprinkles may be found in the author's books 'Pigeon Genetics' in English language and 'Genetik der Taubenfärbungen' in German language. Photos of the different variations are shown in 'Taubenfärbungen. Coulerations in the Domestic Pigeon'.