What is a Snood on a Turkey?

I have to admit this. Even after hunting turkeys for years, until recently, I had no idea what the “snood” really is.

All I knew was how its changing shape could provide vital hints about the tom’s mood. Honestly, a strutting tom looks colorful, but with the snood added, handsome is not the word that comes to mind. And in a way, the turkey snood reminded me of elephants’ trunks. But in reality, it is nothing like a trunk.

If you are wondering what the heck is the function of this dangling flare, this article will surely help.

A snood is the strange, fleshy appendage that hangs over a turkey’s beak. While many people may not have heard of a snood before or know what it is, it is an important part of a turkey’s anatomy, especially for toms (male turkeys). In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about the fascinating turkey snood.

What Does a Turkey’s Snood Look Like?

A snood is a flap of skin that hangs down from the turkey’s forehead over the top of its beak. It looks a bit like a floppy nose or an elephant trunk.

Both male and female turkeys have snoods, but the tom’s snood is much more prominent and noticeable. A tom turkey’s snood is longer, brighter red, and hangs down further over the beak A hen’s snood is smaller and not as visible

On a relaxed tom, the snood is usually pale pink or bluish and around 2-3 cm long. However when a tom begins his courtship display and strutting the snood engorges with blood, becomes bright red, and elongates several centimeters, dangling below the beak.

What is the Purpose of a Turkey’s Snood?

The snood serves several important functions for a male turkey:

Sexual Selection: Research shows that hen turkeys prefer to mate with toms that have longer snoods. The long, bright red snood signals health, strength, and dominance to female turkeys.
Dominance Displays During conflicts with other male turkeys, a tom will expand and elongate his snood to appear larger and more dominant over his rival.
Communication of Mood: A tom’s snood provides visual cues about his mood and mindset. An erect, pale snood indicates a passive mood, while an elongated, bright red snood signals aggression, dominance and readiness to fight or mate.
Heat Dissipation: The snood has a large surface area and many blood vessels, which allows Heat to dissipate from a turkey’s head and brain. This helps keep the turkey cool.

Turkey Snood Facts:

Only male turkeys (toms) have large, prominent snoods. Hens have much smaller snoods.
When a tom is excited, the snood can elongate from 2-3 cm to over 10 cm!
The skin on a snood can change color from pale pink to bright red very quickly as blood engorges the snood.
Longer snoods are more attractive to female turkeys when choosing a mate.
The snood contains erectile tissue that allows it to rapidly engorge with blood and expand.
In aggressive encounters, toms will bite and pull on each other’s snoods.
Other birds like chickens, peacocks, and cranes also have fleshy appendages on their heads, but the turkey snood is the largest.
Wild turkeys in the US subspecies have red snoods, while the Ocellated Turkey in Central America has a blue snood.
Snoods can become injured, swollen, or infected just like other body parts. A very swollen snood could indicate a snake bite or other irritation.
Tom turkeys will sometimes pin their own snoods back over their heads in elaborate courtship displays.

Why is Understanding the Turkey Snood Useful for Hunters?

For turkey hunters, paying attention to the snood provides valuable insight:

The color and length of the snood indicates the tom’s mood – aggressive, passive, excited, etc.
Hunters can use snood clues to determine how aggressively they should call and interact with a gobbler.
Long, red snoods signal dominance and breeding readiness. Short, pale snoods indicate passive disinterest.
As a tom prepares to flee danger, the first sign is often the snood shrinking and retracting – a warning his mood is changing.
Injuries, swelling, and color changes in the snood may indicate injuries or illnesses.

So reading the snood gives hunters an advantage in calling, decoying, and understanding the turkey’s behavior. It is a useful and visible clue into what the bird is thinking and feeling.

Unique Facts About Turkey Snoods:

Only male turkeys have a large, dangly snood. Hens have just a stub.
A turkey’s snood changes length and color to signal mood and breeding readiness.
Long, red snoods are more attractive to female turkeys when mating.
The loose snood helps dissipate heat from a turkey’s head and brain.
Hunters use the snood to gauge a tom’s mindset and calling strategy.
An injured, swollen, or discolored snood may indicate a health issue.
No other birds have fleshy head appendages quite as large and showy as a tom turkey’s snood.

The turkey’s snood is a unique and amazing anatomical feature that plays many important roles. From sexual selection, to communication, heat regulation, and dominance displays, the snood provides vital functions for the biology and social behavior of male turkeys. Its ability to rapidly change size, shape and color also make it a visible indicator to track the mood and mindset of a tom turkey. So next time you see a big tom strutting his stuff, take a closer look at that fleshy, dangly appendage on his head – the amazing turkey snood!

Frequency of Entities:
Snood: 58
Tom: 31
Turkey: 24
Hen: 7
Beak: 6
Head: 5

what is a snood on a turkey

What is a Turkey Snood?

The snood is a fleshy projection the turkeys have on the top of their beak. When the tom turkey is relaxed, the snood remains contracted. But once he is charged up and strutting around, the snood elongates and hangs from the bill. This engorgement is a result of excess blood flowing into the snood.

Generally, the snood can be around 5 inches in length and the size increases with age. The hens and jakes have snoods too, but those are less prominent.

Is there a definite purpose for the turkey snood?

At first glance, this dangling piece of flesh looks somewhat ridiculous and super impractical on a hot-headed tom. Surely, the boss gobblers must find it difficult to breathe with the snood covering their nostrils. But, a closer look will reveal that turkey snoods serve more than one practical purpose.

The primary objective of a snood is ornamentation during courtship display. The reason for that is not exactly clear but some theories suggest that long snood length indicates better genes in a gobbler. More on that later.

The other reason is thermoregulation or body temperature control. Remember that birds do not sweat. The featherless head and neck of the turkey help them to lose heat more efficiently.

Ever noticed that turkey dangly thing called wattle that hangs from the chin of the bird? That serves the same purpose too.

The snood increases the skin surface area and helps in heat loss while the turkey is strutting. While strutting under the sun on a hot day, the old tom is really exerting himself and needs a radiator to cool down. The bare skin helps dissipate heat and keep his brain temperature below sub-lethal levels.

The first step to determining the health of a turkey is to familiarize yourself with how a healthy turkey looks and behaves. Moreover, there can be different versions of “normal” for a particular bird. For example, a bird can change its snood length even without having any specific health issues.

A healthy elongated snood should be red and free from any discoloration. If the snood or the wattle is paler than usual, the turkey can be suffering from anemia or some other illness.

A healthy turkey snood should be free from scabs, or swellings. If you spot any lesions on the snood the bird might be having some health issues. Or else, it can be a sign of an injury. Many turkey farmers cut off the snood in young turkeys to prevent injuries related to fighting.

Keep in mind that you need to check the entire bird and not just the snood to ensure that you do not miss any health issues.

To determine whether the tom is stressed or relaxed check the head of the bird. When the head of a turkey is white and blue with a few touches of red and the snood is not elongated, the bird is in a calm or passive state. But when the head turns red and the turkey snood is erect, the bird is excited.

Now, when the tom is strutting and the snood is hanging out in its full glory, it means that he is focused on the females.

Or else he is ready to establish dominance over the other males. But if the snood starts to shrivel, know that the romance or aggression phase is over. Then again, he might have been alerted by some signs of danger. If you have a shot, it is time to take it.

As a hunter, you can change your tactics depending on the mood of the gobbler and its snood size. You might be carrying a variety of calls as turkey hunting essentials, but you can never be sure of the type of call a strutting gobbler will respond to.

However, by observing the behavior of the tom you can vary the volume and intensity of the hen calls to arouse his interest. Likewise, if the gobbler is in a passive mood, you need to be more cautious with your calling strategy. Such birds can be more focused on survival and super alert about any signs of danger.

All About the Turkey Snood: Understanding Its Role in Mating, Social Dynamics, & Survival.

FAQ

What is the point of a snood?

This tubular scarf can be worn as a neck warmer or pulled up to protect the face, neck, and ears from cold weather, wind, and rain. A snood can even be pulled up higher on the head and be used as a hood.

What is the difference between a wattle and a snood?

‘ ((iStock photo)) The long, red, fleshy area that grows from the forehead over the bill is a “snood” while the fleshy growth under the turkey’s throat is called a “wattle.” These pieces fill up with blood and turn bright red when a tom wants to attract a hen but they can also turn blue if the turkey is scared.

What is another name for a turkey’s snood?

Another name for a turkey wattle is turkey neck. It may also be called Snood. looks like a turkey’s neck. Michael Stein of For BirdNote, says That flap of bumpy red skin hanging off a male turkey’s face is both functional and fashionable.