No one
is quite certain of the exact origin of the Chinese Owl. Some believe it
came from North Africa, others believe it came from Northern India. Those
who first brought the breed to Europe, where it appeared around 1850, had
censored its origin. A French pigeon dealer by the name of Destriveaux had
them in Paris, France. It is recorded that a good pair of Chinese Owls was
of equal value of a good team of horses. In 1865 Destriveaux sent Chinese
Owls to King Prosche in Germany. These birds were greatly prized and were
blues. He would later receive others of varying colors, the results of
crosses. It was a slow painful process to improve the quality and color.
Germany can be credited with the early development of the Chinese Owl. The
German Saddle Owl, Egyptian Owl and German Shield Owl were used in early
development.
Due to a lack of clarity in early show reports, the appearance of Chinese
Owls in America is also hard to trace. They were generally listed only
as "Owls," with no consideration as to English, African or Chinese. It is
believed that they appeared in the United States in the 1870's. The first
printed standard for Chinese Owls in the U.S. was in 1879, and listed
"Whiskered Owls."
In 1958 the Mid West Chinese Owl Club was formed in Iowa. It is the parent
club of our National Chinese Owl Club (N.C.O.C.) It took many dedicated
fanciers to get our Chinese Owls to where they are today, and shows of
400 Chinese Owls are not uncommon.
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