White fallow deer are born with a sandy colored coat which gradually turns white by their second birthday. Menil fallow deer have a light brown coat serving as a base for bright white spots, a white buttock area, and white underparts. Common, or ginger fallow deer are the most distinctive. Rich brown covers their head, upper neck, back, sides and legs, and white speckles on their back and flanks. A black stripe runs down the midline from the neck to the rump and outlines the white buttock patch.
Black fallow are actually a dark brown with paler underparts.
The European subspecies has all four of these variations, while the Mesopotamian fallow seems to have only the common and Menil coloring. European fallow deer have been distributed throughout the world, while Mesopotamian are dangerously near extinction. Because no freeranging members of this species are known today, world-wide efforts to protect them and increase their numbers have been launched. However, European fallow distribution is relatively even throughout the world. From Europe to eastern Europe, Africa and Australia to North and South America, European fallow deer have proved to be very adaptable creatures.