Have used many bird / game feathers / fur at the tying table.
Probably the best is antelope hair for caddis. The hair is hollow,
making a very floatable "elk hair" pattern.
In my failed youth, I would take pains to match duck wings to get the
matching bits for tying wings on various patterns.
Then I stopped tying wings on them.
I never noticed the difference on the stream.

cheers

oz, who got back from Colorado yesterday. It has been taken over by
the yuppies and Middle Park is suffering from organo-phosphates from
all the development.
I guess it's true: "you can't go home again".