GENERAL APPEARANCE: The Bokhara is a large full-bodied exhibition
pigeon. In shape and station he is low-standing, broad, short-necked and
close to the ground. His station is one which approaches a position which
is parallel to the ground. He is long, low and broad. His legs are widely
set and short. His feathering is profuse, soft, long, wide and strong quilled.
In all aspects he alludes to massive size and dense feathering.
ROSE: The rose is a crown of feathers emanating from a point slightly
forward of the center of the skull and lying in all directions. The longest
feathers of the rose are as nearly possible of equal length forming a perfect
circle which covers the eyes and beak and touching the inside edge of the
cup of the shell. The rose is flat and densely feathered. The larger, rounder,
flatter and more densely feathered the rose is the more valued it shall
be.
SHELL: The shell is a greatly exaggerated crest of feathers which circumscribes the rose extending as widely as possible around the entire head and lying below the ears. The shell wraps around the entire head to the throat immediately beneath the beak, nearly meeting there, but falling just short of touching to form a complete circle. The shell is set high, standing firmly and is curved in such a manner so that its inside parameter forms a cup of feathers that exhibits the appearance that a marble could be rolled within it in a tract that circumscribes the head. The plane expressed by the rose is even with the top-most edge of the shell feathering. The longer feathered, wider, more densely feathered, well-cupped and properly set the shell, the more valued it shall be.
NECK AND MANE: The neck is short, slightly arched rearward presenting the plane of the rose in a position that is approximately 30 degrees to the ground. The neck is extremely broad and profusely feathered in every aspect exhibiting no breaks when viewed from any angle. There are no indented lines and no allusion either to thinness or to a lengthy neck. The feathering of the neck and mane is functionally a continuation of the shell feathering and the wider, more lengthy and densely feathered and more continuous the feathering on the neck and mane is, the more valued it shall be.
BODY: The body is squat, long, carried nearly horizontally with very wide shoulders, a prominent full breast and stout thick wings all of which accentuate the appearance of massive size. The entire body presents a blunt wedge shape when viewed from above, being very broad at shoulders and flowing with decreasing width as it approaches the tail. The breast feathering covers the wing butts so that they are not visible. The body frontal is wide, round, densely-feathered and massive flowing continuously to the rear body which is deep accentuating the full round massive body frontal. The larger, wider, longer and more densely-feathered the body, the more valued it shall be.
WINGS: The wings are strong, thick, wide and long. The tips of the flights reach the end of the tail. The flights are carried above and rest lightly upon the tail.
TAIL: The tail is long and spread slightly at the end. The tail in conjunction with the wings adds length, width and massiveness to the Bokhara.
BOOTS: The boots are extremely long exhibiting great width and massiveness. They exhibit both profusity and roundness and continuity beginning in growth with short feathers frontally and showing greater feather length as they fill rearward. The backmost feathers of the boots extend continuously to the hock feathering without a break in their perimeter. The boots are multi-layered and as dense as possible. The longer, wider, rounder and more densely feathered the boots, the more valued they shall be.
HOCKS: The hocks are functionally a continuation of the boot feathering. They are long, full and densely feathered extending over the rear feathers of the boot.
BEAK: The beak is medium in length and size although it is not exposed. Its color correlates to feather color, being flesh-colored in white, baldheads and all other birds with predominantly white head feathering. Black Bokharas have a dark black beak and all other colored birds have correlatory colored beaks.
EYES: The eyes are pearl in selfs, baldheads and mottles. The eyes are bull in whites.
COLOR AND MARKINGS: The color is deep, even, dark and free from all slatiness, bleaching or mismarking (e.g. blacks are extremely dark with no sootiness, slatiness or bleaching. The neck and breast exhibits a purple and green beetle sheen. No white or gray is exhibited in the hocks, ventral feathering or boots). In white Bokharas no colored feathers are seen and the rump and tail are free from mismarking. Mottles and splashes are designated either light or dark depending on whether colored or white predominates (i.e. dark black mottle; light red splash). A mottled Bokhara is self colored with flecking on the head, neck and breast. There is no AOC class so that a mismarked bird compete in his correct class. A baldhead (piebald) Bokhara has a white rose, white boots, 10 X 10 white flights and a white bib which extends down the breast 2". The remainder of the baldhead is self-colored. A splash is a piebald Bokhara with an abstract unspecified pattern of color and white.
VOICE: In English speaking countries the voice is not a factor in judging Bokharas primarily because there is no generally known method of consistently inducing a bird to trumpet. However, this characteristic is highly desirable. The voice of the Bokhara is low-pitched, melodic and of long duration, the longer, the more desirable.
FAULTS: The following are minor faults: bull or cracked eyes in birds other than whites; mismarkings, particularly colored rumps in white, white boot feathering in selfs and white rumps in baldheads; other poor quality color. The following are serious faults: crooked keel; a "rolled" toe or "bumblefoot"; asymmetry of body or a one-sided body weakness.