Wild Turkeys are enormous, fat birds with long legs, broad, rounded tails, and a small head on a narrow neck.
Turkeys are dark entirely with a bronze-green iridescence to the most maximum of their plumage. Their wings are dark, strongly barred with white color.
Their tail and rump feathers are significantly tipped with white or rusty. The bare skin of the neck and head differs from blue to red to grey.
At the start of spring, males gather in fields to perform courtship displays. They blow up their body feathers, widen their tails into an erect fan, and strut slowly while offering a special gobbling call. At night, these birds fly up into trees to roost in flocks.
Turkey feathers come in a stunning array of colors and patterns that can leave observers awestruck. From iridescent greens and coppery bronzes to rusty red tips, these feathers form intricate displays on one of nature’s most impressive birds. In this article, we’ll explore the range of plumage found on wild domestic and heritage turkeys to uncover what makes their feathers so colorful.
An Overview of Turkey Feather Colors
Wild turkeys sport the most variety when it comes to feather shades. Their plumage can include different colors and patterns depending on the type of feather and the bird’s sex. Male turkeys tend to have the brightest and most vibrant colors in their plumage. The feathers on the body are generally colored rich browns, copper, bronze, and buff. Meanwhile, the tail and wing feathers can shine in iridescent hues of green, red, copper, bronze, and gold. Females still have beautiful feathers but their colors tend to be more subdued with more brown, black, and gray tones.
Domestic broad-breasted turkeys raised on farms also exhibit a range of feather colors. The most common shades are bronze and white. But there are also breeds with feathers in russet, chestnut, bourbon red, black blue slate and gray. Heritage turkey breeds like the Narragansett can have plumage with iridescent blues and greens mixed in.
What Creates the Color in Turkey Feathers
The stunning colors and patterns in turkey feathers come from two key factors – pigments and the structure of the feathers. Pigments like melanins produce shades of brown, black, gray, and reddish-brown. Meanwhile, iridescent hues come from the way feather barbules reflect light. The shape and arrangement of these microscopic structures create different colors through interference and refraction of light waves. Other factors like diet, age, and genetics also play a role in feather coloration.
Tail Feathers
Some of the most eye-catching turkey feathers can be found on the tail. Wild male turkeys grow long tail feathers up to 1 foot in length that they use for courtship displays. These specialized feathers are called coverts and sickles. Coverts make up the outer tail feathers and produce iridescent greens, reds, coppers, and bronzes. The sickle feathers in the center are longer and decorated with bold vertical bars of black and white. Females also have barred tail feathers but in more subdued white, brown, and buff shades.
Wing Feathers
Turkey wing feathers provide a mix of pigmented and iridescent colors. The largest feathers are the primary flight feathers. These tend to be mostly black or very dark brown forming a stark background. Primary feathers may also have thin white bands along the edges. The secondary flight feathers are medium-sized and feature alternating bars of black and white. Some secondaries can also gleam with iridescent reddish-orange hues. Smaller coverts make up the leading edge of the wing and are colored brown, black, or gray, sometimes with buff-colored tips.
Body Feathers
Body feathers provide insulation and protection for turkeys. They come in various shades of brown including chocolate, buff, chestnut, and russet. Black and white banding can sometimes occur along the tips of these feathers. Certain body feathers may also contain iridescent reddish or purple tints depending on the angle of light reflection. Generally, body feathers have more subdued colors than the bolder tail and wing feathers. But they can still shimmer and shine thanks to their specialized structure.
What Other Factors Influence Turkey Feather Color?
Turkey feather colors can change over the bird’s lifetime due to molting, diet, environment, and genetics. Young poults start out with more camouflaging downy feathers in brown, black, and buff. Their adult plumage comes in over multiple molts. Diet impacts colors through nutrient availability for feather growth. Turkeys with diets high in carotenoids can develop brighter reds and oranges in their plumage. The environment also plays a role. Warmer, drier regions tend to produce more vibrant feathers. Even an individual bird’s genetic makeup determines how its feather pigments are expressed.
The Significance of Turkey Feather Colors
The dazzling colors and patterns in turkey plumage serve both form and function. Male turkeys use their brightly colored feathers for courtship displays meant to attract females. The mix of colors, paired with behaviors like strutting and fanning, helps males stand out. Female plumage is adapted for camouflage to hide from predators while nesting. Birds like the wild turkey even developed regional color variations to better blend into their environments. Beyond survival purposes, the feathers also hold cultural significance for many Native American tribes who consider them symbols of respect and gratitude.
The vibrant colors make turkey feathers highly prized for decoration and ceremonial use. Their beauty inspires us to take a closer look at nature and appreciate the amazing diversity of the natural world. Each shade and stripe reveals the evolutionary wonders that birds possess.
How many feathers does a Turkey have?
A Turkey’s body possesses 5,000 to 6,000 feathers and grows in patterns called feather tracts or pterylae. Wings have ten primary feathers and 17 or 18 secondary feathers. The bird’s tail has an average of 18 large quill feathers.
Turkey feathers have eight shapes that help body covering, flight, display, insulation, waterproofing, protection, and recognition.
When do they strut?
Contrary to common belief and what looks like 98 percent of each photographed turkey, the birds use a maximum of their time in a non-strutting, relaxed position.
Strutting can and does take place hardly during the year, but is most common prior to the breeding period to determine dominance and pecking order. When the turkeys perform strut, they can do this for some seconds or hours, depending on the situation.
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FAQ
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