Expert: Roger Lederer - 4/8/2010

Question
Hello,

Thank you for your willingness to answer questions. I was wondering if you could tell me, or find out, what is so unique about the quills of pheasant feathers, so that I have read that military forces are researching how to weave them together in hopes of creating improved body armor. I trust the book that I read this in, but since the book concerned military special operations and not ornithology, it provided no further details at all on that assertion -- I have attempted to conduct research to find out more on this subject, but so far I have not been successful. Perhaps there is a way for you to help?

Thanks so much for your time and attention.

Answer
I haven't heard anything about that, in particular, so I did a bit of research. Asian warriors apparently used pheasant feathers either in headdresses or fans; native Americans used them sometime in the early 20th century, and pheasant feathers are quoted as being part of "warrior" costumes in role-playing board and computer games. Pheasant feathers have been used in a a variety of ways to enhance military costumes around the world for 100 years. But for armored protection? Frankly, I think that the idea that pheasant feathers are being researched to weave them together for body armor is pure hokum. Pheasant feather quills are nothing but keratin - a modification of cellulose - the same thing fish scales and our fingernails are made of. I don't know what book this is, but at least this part of it is most likely nonsense.
The idea apparently comes from hunters who think that if they shoot a pheasant and it doesn't fall, somehow it has special protection. Of course, the same is true for ducks and geese.