Our Name

The Significance of Our Name

The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock takes its name from a bird whose neck feathers are highly sought after for tying flies.  

The Grey Jungle Fowl (Gallus Sonnerati) is native to eastern and southern India.  It inhabits bamboo groves and forests on mountain slopes up to 5000 feet in altitude. 

The Jungle Cock is the male of the species.   Its neck cape contains very distinctive white and gold-spotted feathers that are used on many trout and salmon flies.

Our name, selected in 1940, is part of our tradition.  There were no badges or emblems at the start. Members displayed a single Jungle Cock neck feather on their hats or vests.  That feather implied the bond that exists between dedicated fly-fishers.

The Jungle Cock neck capes were so much in demand that they are now an endangered species.  The only feathers available today are from farm-raised birds.  This is a prime example of the need for our conservation message.