National Chinese Owl Club

1	Mealy bar (Ash red bar)	2	Red check (Ash red check)	3	Spread Ash red (lavender and strawberry
4	Cream bar (dilute ash red bar)	5	Yellow check (dilute. ash red check)	6	Cream (dilute. spread ash red)
7	Blue bar	8	Blue check	9	Black (spread blue)
10	Silver bar	11	Silver check	12	Dun self (spread dilute blue)
13	Brown bar	14	Brown check	15	Brown self
16	Khaki bar	17	Khaki check	18	Khaki self
19	Indigo bar	20	Indigo check	21	Andalusian
22	Grizzle bar (blue bar grizzles, silver bar grizzles, ash red bar grizzles, cream bar grizzles, brown bar grizzles, Khaki bar grizzles, Indigo bar grizzles, etc.)	23	Tortoiseshell / Grizzle check (Any check patterned bird with grizzle: dark blue grizzles, dark tortoiseshells, light blue grizzles, light blue torts, as red check grizzles, as yellow check grizzles, brown check grizzles, khaki check grizzles, et.)	24	Any Other Grizzles (AOG) (Homozygous grizzles or storkmarked grizzles or any AOC grizzles)
25	Almond	26	Qualmond	27	Recessive red
28	Recessive yellow (dilute rec. red)	29	White	30	Baldhead
31	Body Mark	32	Saddle	33	Pied
34	Any Other Color (AOC)

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Here is the list of NCOC Color Class numbers. I think it is only a matter of time before more shows go to a numbering system like Louisville. Birds entered in the wrong color class just create extra problems for the show secretaries. You end up with colors marked out and birds moved and show sheets that end up looking like they are covered with chicken scratches (or should I say pigeon scratches).

Our biggest problem, as far as color classes are concerned, is usually the grizzle classes. Just remember, if it carries one dose of grizzle and has either a bar or a faint bar it should be entered as a grizzle bar (22).

If it carries a double dose of grizzle it will generally be much-much whiter and will be an obvious stork-mark and should be entered in class 24. Some stork marks show a faint bar or faint checks. I think it depends on how much bronzing/red the bird carries. The head and neck areas of the storks are usually nearly pure white. It kind of boils down to your knowledge of the breeding of the particular bird. I do have one grizzle check that looks a lot like a stork mark but I know from its parents that it is just a light tortoise (grizzle check with a lot of bronzing).

A checkered bird with one dose of grizzle should be entered in class 23. Tortoiseshells are grizzle checks with varying degrees of bronzing. We also have very dark grizzle checks and very light grizzle checks. This is because there are at least three different check patterns that run from the dark T-pattern/velvet shield pattern to the very light open check pattern. That, plus the addition of bronzing factors (that were added to make the Tortoiseshell) causes a huge variation in the outward appearance of this dass of birds. Again, if you know or suspect that it carries one dose of grizzle and shows a check pattern then it should be in class 23.

The Qualmond class could be a problem, but most Qualmond breeders know that all Qualmonds belong in one class irregardless of pattern (ie Qualmond bars, Qualmond checks etc.).

If you do not know what color class to enter your bird please contact you District director of one of the NCOC officers and he/she/we will attempt to help. As a last resort, just enter the bird in question in class 34 (AOC) and we will put it in the appropriate class at the show.

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