Dating back to 1624, the Coq de Leon or "cock of Leon" is the oldest line of birds bred for their feathers. The beautiful long spotted fibers are hard, almost glassy in appearance. Since the mid-1990s, Whiting Farms has continued the tradition of breeding authentic Coq de Leon roosters from Spain and is the only commercial breeder of Coq de Leon outside of Spain.
Coq de Leon roosters are large birds with shiny feathers and long hairs. They offer a wide range of applications, but excel in a few areas. Feathers on the side edges are used for dry fly tails because they are very stiff. Long hairs also make great collars on streamers, wet, bass and saltwater flies. Mid-scalp feathers are suitable for larger dry flies, be it hackle, palmers, caddis wings, etc. They are also used for streamer wings, especially in combination with feathers from other scalps.
