Marabou

Marabou

History

Marabou is a soft webby feather usually located on the belly of the bird. It is an important feather for fly tying but is also a desired feather for the fashion industry in creating boas, for hat plumage, and edge lining of garments. Originally collected from Marabou Storks of Africa, marabou is collected almost exclusively from Turkeys today. The white marabou is dyed to a number of different colors. Barred or Grizzly Marabou is collected from Grizzly Roosters and Chickabou comes from other chickens. Both, in turn, are dyed to a number of colors also. Distributors usually tie the feathers together in a strung line.

Types

  • Blood Marabou: A belly feather with medium length barbs and small, thin stems taken from Turkeys, usually 1″-3″ long. Barbs tend to be straight with less fluffiness and more even in length. Excellent for wings and tails but not as a hackle. The barbs end uniformly giving a nice edge to wings and tails. Purchase Here
    • Marabou, Blood
  • Marabou Plumes: A feather with a defined central stem and long barbs, usually 4″-7″ long. Barbs can be uneven and fluffy coming perpendicular out from the stem. They are the most common marabou used in fly tying. The stem is too thick, so only the barbs are selected and used. The barbs can be tied in bunches, in a loop, or as dubbing. Purchase Here
    • Marabou, Plume
  • Woolly Bugger Marabou: These are usually plumes that have been selected for dense long barbules going up near the tip of the barb. The stem is long and thin so that it can be wrapped around the hook shank. Often used for Bass Bugs, Woolly Buggers, and other wet flies. Purchase Here
    • Marabou, Woolly Bugger
  • Chickabou (Mini-Marabou): Small marabou feathers taken from hens and roosters along the breast, knees, and thighs. Usually barred and dyed to many different colors. Grizzly Marabou is technically Chickabou taken from a Grizzly Rooster. Finer and more delicate than Turkey Marabou. Particularly useful for Matuka Flies. Purchase Here
    • Marabou, Grizzly Mini Marabou

Colors

There are generally 10-11 Dyed colors of Marabou that most flies utilize. These are:

  • Black
  • Brown
  • Claret
  • Light Olive
  • Olive
  • Purple
  • Brown Olive
  • Dark Olive
  • Yellow
  • White

Color Chart for Marabou

                   Marabou Color Chart

Primary Marabou Providers

  • Hareline : Hareline markets strung Blood Marabou in about 36 colors. They also market Plume marabou as “Extra-select” in 22 colors and smaller plumes called “Mini-Marabou” in 10 colors. Barred (Grizzly) Marabou is available in 10 colors. Wooly Bugger Marabou is available in 23 colors.
  • Nature’s Spirit: Nature’s Spirit processes all of it’s marabou with preen oil for preservation and additional sheen. They market a plume marabou with 18 colors.count.
  • Wapsi: This is where Marabou got it’s start. Lacey Gee, the original owner of Wapsi, was also a Turkey farmer and noticed that White Turkey had a very similar feather. Wapsi started dyeing these feathers in 1946 and continues today.