The Bronze, often called the Mammoth Bronze, is the heaviest and also
the most popular variety. The male (fig. 1) is distinguished by (1) the
rich, iridescent, red-green sheen of the plumage on the neck, wing bows,
wing fronts, wing coverts, breast, front half of the back, and lower
thighs; and (2) the lighter, brilliant, copper-colored bronzing of the
rear half of the back, tail coverts, tail itself, and body. The bronzing
in the tail, tail coverts, and body is bordered by a distinct narrow
black band, which in turn is bordered by a wide edging of pure white.
The rear portion of the back has the broad bronze bar with the narrow
edging of black but does not have the white tips. The plumage of the
female (fig. 2) is similar to that of the male, except for an edging of
white on the black bars on the back, wing bows, wing coverts, breast, and
body. This white edging is narrow in the front of the body and gradually
widens toward the rear. Both sexes have the same color pattern in the
large wing feathers and in the main tail feathers and coverts. The main
tail feathers and coverts have brown penciling (narrow bars) on a dull
black background; the large wing feathers are evenly barred with black
and white, the bars of the secondaries becoming indistinct as the back
is approached. Creaminess, yellow, or yellowish brown in the pure white
edging of the main tail feathers and coverts of the Bronze indicates
an admixture of wild-turkey blood and is a serious defect in the
standardbred Bronze. Lack of the copper-colored bronzing or a tendency
for it to be greenish is also a serious color defect.