One bantam outline, three British feather forms

The Poultry Club recognizes normal, frizzled and silky feather forms within its Japanese Bantam description. In the frizzled form, feather ends curl back toward the head. The silky form concerns loose body-feather construction, while the club retains different requirements for the wings and true tail so the distinctive Japanese outline remains.

This illustrates why plumage texture and breed identity are different levels of description. A frizzled bird is not automatically a Japanese Bantam; it must also fit the breed's form. Conversely, a Japanese Bantam with unusual body texture need not be a cross simply because its feathers differ from the common smooth form. These are British recognition descriptions and should be identified as such.