Long-tailed shamas are not as easy to come by nor are they as easy to care for like the short-tailed specimens. Many things can go wrong with the tail feathers of a long-tailed specimen, sometimes during the molt which will result in an imperfect tail for the rest of the year. At other times when follicle injuries occured or are inflicted, the results may often be irrevisible, rendering a beautiful specimen to be permanently flawed.
The aesthetic quality of the entire tail of a long-tailed specimen rest mostly on one pair of tail feathers, the longest black pair. The length, the softness and the way this pair of feathers curves will, to a greater extent than any of the bird's other physical attributes, define its overall beauty. The flaws of the entire tail if there are any, will also mostly be found on or be seen through this pair of feathers. For these reasons, the owner of a long-tailed specimen should spare no effort to maximize their growth potential while minimizing the chances of any imperfection in their development and growth during each and every molt and to provide for the best possible care afterwards, to maintain the fullness of their vanes and the softness of their shafts until the next molt is due.
Pics of Nim (left) and Funkie. Both pics were taken soon after they had completed their 1st molts, showing satisfactory results in achieving the maximization of the growth of their long tail feathers. I would think that their flawless tail feathers upon completion of the molt were also the result of the efforts put into the proper care and feeding throughout the period of the molt.
With continuous efforts, the lengths of their long tail feathers had since increased with each subsequently molt.
