What We Do Watchlist Geese watchlist Sebastopol Key Characteristics Their curly plumage means that birds are not able to fly. History The place of origin, the drainage basin of the River Danube and Black Sea area, gives it the title: Sebastopol Goose. Sir Edward Brown maintained that the earliest Sebastopols were imported here in 1859, shortly after the Crimean War. Reported in the English press in 1860, the imported birds were exhibited at The Crystal Palace Poultry Show. An engraving depicts a pair of smooth-breasted birds, each weighing 11lbs. Appearance There are two main feather-types: the smooth-breasted and the curled-feather. The first is basically a normal, smooth-feathered bird apart from exceptionally long, trailing scapular and thigh feathers that form a dense canopy of silky ribbons that often reach the floor. The second type has a much curlier appearance. The breast tends to be covered in a mass of tightly curled feathers; the wing and thigh coverts are reduced to long wisps and ribbons; The size of modern birds range from 12 – 16 lbs for males to 10 – 14 lbs for females. Uses Birds can be kept for meat although most are just ornamental. Did you know? The breed has a number of names. The French have called it l’oie frisse, and the Germans Lockengäns.