Yokohama, an ornamental bird renowned for it's extraordinarily long tail feathers, were imported into Europe by a French missionary in 1864 , fom Japan. Some were exhibited as Phoenix in the 1870s and 1880s but were indistinguishable from the Yokohama. Even today, there is a strongly held opinion in some quarters that maintains that the Phoenix bantam is a Yokohama.

The bantam Phoenix fowl appear to have been developed in Germany at the very beginning of the C20th by crossing the Yokohama with Old English Game as well as other bantams and country fowl. They are not common, perhaps because they either take a lot of looking after for showing, or that they are true fliers and are really suited to being free-range with plenty of space. Our birds are completely free-range and find their own roosts.

Phoenix have elongated, lean bodies with a tail that is carried low and in line with the body. The hen's tail is long, sperad and has the top curved. The cock's tail has plenty of long, narrow sickles that drag along the ground. The saddle also has long golden feathers that can reach the ground. These feathers are not moulted every year which is how they achieve great lengths. They have a single comb and snow-white ear lobes. Legs are a slate blue. The hens are reasonably good layers of white eggs and are good mothers who look after their brood well.

There are four varieties - partridge, silver partridge, black & white.

We have the partridge variety. Because they really need space we do not breed them in quantity, so please contact us to check availability.

Phoenix Fowl Cockerel