Am-gold Cross

There is a small region in southwestern China where the range of Goldens and Amherst overlap. Despite this, these two species do not come into contact with each other. Amherst occupy the high mountain slopes between 7,000 and 12,000 feet. Goldens live in the dense growth of the steep rocky ridges 6,500 feet and lower. Thus nature has kept these two breeds pure and the only crosses are a result of captive breeding.

am-gold cross

Tying with Amgold Pheasant Feathers

Anytime you cross two breeds, sometimes you come up with something spectacular. Such is the case here.

The feathers in the picture above chart the result of mixing Goldens and Amherst blood to different degrees. The two center tails are pure. The two on the outer edge are from the first breeding - 50/50. Note that the offspring have a somewhat looser Golden pattern, however, some have a white background while others have a tan background.

The feather below the pure Amherst is only 1/4 Golden, and even though the bird is 3/4 Amherst, interestingly, the barring is completley scrambled. Occasionally, as in the picture on the left, the background can even be a bit tan. Cross the half Golden/half Amherst to a Golden hen and you come up with a feather like the one above the pure Golden. The only difference in a 3/4 Golden's tail is that they are a bit longer.

Amgold tails have made a solid alternative to the sometimes finicky golden pheasant tails for married wings. Longer fibers and the ability to stay married figure prominently in the popularity of this bird’s tail. Other uses parallel the Golden.

feather assortments
full skins
fly patterns
links to more exotics

Center Tail Feathers

These are perfectly matched center tail feathers, both coming from the same bird. The feathers are graded on barb length which ranges from 2" to 3". Please indicate if you'd prefer a tan or white pair.


3"+ barb - $50 2 1/2" barb - $45 2"+ barb - $40

Side Tail Feathers

There are seven sets of side tails on an Am-gold. The longest are actually longer than the center tails, while the shortest are only about 3 inches long. The barb lengh on the longest tails are long and the pattern makes for some interesting flies.


Large - $25 Medium - $15 Small - $5

Crests

Some of the birds have a dark crest like the bird in the picture. They come in packages of 5 feathers, sorted by size. Large are 3", medium are 2", and small are 1".


Large - $5 Medium - $4 Small - $3


Light	Dark	Red Tipped

Sword Feathers

Fly Fishing show season is just around the corner! As with every year, I will have the same wide selection, plenty to pick through, and off course, a few new offerings to grab your attention


Large - $5/pr Med - $4/pr Small - $3/pr

Tippets

The tippets on an Am-gold are unique in that they have a straight edge like a golden but are white like an Amherst. Some bird will have a slight yellow cast like the ones in the picture on the right.


Large - $ Medium - $ Small - $

AmGold - Male

Every year we harvest a limited number of only the finest males for flat mounts, study skins, and full mounts. Only males in perfect feather and excellent color patterning are selected.

If you are interested in one, please contact me and I will email you some pictures of specimens available in addition to the one pictured here.

For the serious collecter, I also have a few hens available. It is interesting to put them side by side with a pure golden and amherst hen to see the transitional effects of crossing.