Archangel

General: While most Americans refer to these members of the "Color Family" as Archangels, in many parts of the world they have been given the name "Gimpel". References indicate that the British gave the name Archangel to the copper black wing variety. The name "Gimpel" encompasses all the varieties of the breed. Description: These colorful pigeons have an upright posture. They are small in size, weighing about 12 ounces. They should be slim and somewhat sleek in appearance. They are always clean legged, and are either plainheaded, or crested with a needle pointed peak crest. Colors and Markings: It has been speculated that this breed can be found in about 52 combinations of colors and marking patterns. There are two basic ground colors: copper and gold. The wing shield colors are black, white and blue. In blues and whites, the wing can either have bars, checkering, or be without markings. In blacks and blues, there are white flighted varieties. Archangels can also have white head marking patterns that are seen on Priests and Monks, but these are considered to be extremely rare in America, if they can be found at all. It should be noted that coloration is said to be the most important feature of the breed.