The beard on a turkey is one of the most distinctive features of this iconic American bird. Though both male and female turkeys can grow beards, it is more prominent on the male, or tom turkey. The beard is a tuft of modified feathers that protrudes from the chest. Let’s take a closer look at what makes up this unique turkey trait.
Anatomy of a Turkey’s Beard
A turkey’s beard consists of a cluster of specialized feathers that grow from the center of the breast Unlike regular feathers which have a central shaft with barbs extending out, the beard feathers have a hair-like texture and appearance. The beard feathers tend to be darker than the other feathers, usually black, brown or reddish-brown in color
The beard originates from a single point on the breast bone and the feathers extend out in a brush-like cluster. On male turkeys, or toms, the beard is much more pronounced, with feathers reaching lengths of 6 inches or more. Hens may grow a beard too, but it is usually shorter at around 2-3 inches long. The longest beards can reach up to 12 inches on older male turkeys.
Purpose and Function
The beard serves an ornamental purpose, meaning it exists for aesthetic display rather than any practical function. During mating displays, the tom will puff up his feathers to appear larger and more impressive to females. The prominent beard adds to this effect. The beard may also allow females to gauge the age and vitality of potential mates, as older males tend to have longer beards.
In the wild, the beard likely helped male turkeys attract more mates. Domestic turkeys breed less selectively but still retain this feature. For commercial turkey producers, the beard is considered more of a nuisance as it must be removed during processing.
Other Turkey Features
The beard is just one of many unique physical features of wild turkeys. Here are some other distinctive traits:
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Snood – The fleshy protuberance that hangs over the beak. It elongates and changes color during mating displays.
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Wattles – The flaps of flesh that dangle from the neck. They engorge with blood to attract mates.
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Spurs – The sharp talons on the legs used for fighting between males.
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Fans – Males can fan out their tail feathers into a full circular display
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Caruncles – The bumpy red and blue growths on the head and neck.
Beard Frequency in Turkey Populations
While most male turkeys grow beards, there is some variation in frequency across populations:
- 90-100% of wild male turkeys have beards
- 70-90% of heritage breed males have beards
- 50-70% of commercial breed males have beards
The lower frequency in commercial turkeys is likely due to selective breeding that favors fast growth over ornamental features. The ability to grow a beard is controlled genetically, but environmental factors may also play a role. Even without a full beard, the tufted cluster of feathers on the breast remains.
Can Hens Have Beards?
While less common, beards can occur on female turkeys. Up to 10% of wild hens and 30% of commercial hens may develop small beards of a few inches. This seems to be driven by the presence of testosterone. Hens with beards tend to act and vocally behave more like males. Though rare, it is possible for a hen to grow a beard as long as a male’s.
Beard Development
Turkey beards begin forming at around 6-7 months of age as the birds near sexual maturity. At first just a few modified feathers may sprout. Over the first year or two of life, the beard continues growing out into a longer tuft. Older males carry the longest, most impressive beards going into breeding season each year. The beard feathers are replaced annually through the molting process.
Cultural Significance
The turkey’s beard holds a special significance in American culture. It is featured prominently on Thanksgiving decorations, stamps, clothing, and other turkey-themed items. Disney even created a character named Gus Goose who grows a turkey beard.
The prominence of the beard makes it one of the turkey’s most recognizable features. It adds to the unique charm and personality of these quirky birds that have come to symbolize America’s heritage.
Turkey Basics-Gobblers and Hens
Let’s begin with the basics of distinguishing male wild turkeys (gobblers) from females (hens).
Gobblers are larger-bodied birds, with a darker coloration, at times appearing almost black. In bright sunlight, their feathers cast a brilliant bronze or metallic iridescence. Gobblers have a featherless, red head (sometimes with blue and white coloring, too) with prominent wattle and fleshy, red growths (called caruncles) on their neck. They also have a “beard”—a tuft of black, hair-like strands—protruding from their chest.
On adult gobblers (called toms), the beard can be 7-9 inches or more in length, but on young gobblers (called jakes) the beard is <6 inches long. Typically, gobblers hang out away from hens during the summer since they take no part in raising young.
Hens are more brown in coloration and smaller in size than gobblers. They have a head that is more blue-gray in appearance, often with feathers continuing up the back of the head.
Occasionally hens will have a beard, but it is thinner than on gobblers and is quite often kinked. Hens can also have some feather iridescence, but not to the same extent as gobblers.
How many gobblers and hens do you see in this picture?
2 gobblers (both jakes, note the larger size, less-feathered red heads, and tiny stubble of a beard protruding from the chest of the jake on the right), 4 hens (one mostly hidden behind a jake, but you still can clearly see the typical head of a hen turkey poking out), 1 unknown. If we were here in person live, the birds would move about and we could probably determine that the unknown is another jake, but given what we can see in this photo, it’s best to just call this partially obstructed bird an unknown.
Poults develop very quickly (they must in order not to be eaten!) and feather types, appearance, and body size change rapidly as they age. Based on these characteristics, we can estimate the age of poults. For simplicity, we divide poults into three age classes.
1 week old or younger. Poults that are no more than about a week old are still covered with downy feathers and are very small (<5-6 inches tall). They look like little puff balls about the size of your fist.
Turkey Poult Class 1
2-5 weeks old. Poults in this class have grown longer wing feathers, but still are mostly covered with downy feathers on their body and still lack long tail feathers. They are about 6-10 inches tall, similar in size to a Blue Jay. In appearance, they look to be all wings (which is good because it means now they can fly into low trees to escape ground predators). Poults on the older end of this age class will have started to grow some juvenile plumage on their bodies, but still have short tail feathers.
Hen with class 2 age group poults
Hen with older class 2 age-group poult (borderline class 3)
Hen with class 2 age group poults
6-8 weeks or older. Poults early in this stage still have some down feathers occurring on the neck and head, but their body is covered with juvenile type contour feathers. They have visible tail feathers now, black-and-white barred wing feathers are emerging, and they stand about 10-12 inches tall, similar in size to a crow or a chicken. By about 8 weeks of age, poults are beginning to grow new “adult” looking body feathers and will have a mixture of juvenile feathers and adult feathers on their body. They are about half the size of the hen and will continue to grow to almost the same size as the hen by the end of the summer. Turkey Poults
Because they are very similar in size, late in the summer it can be very challenging to determine if a group of similar-sized turkeys is a flock of hens without poults or a hen and her older-age-class brood. If you’re unsure, it’s best to mark them as unknowns.
Multi Bearded Turkey & Turkey Beard Fun Facts
FAQ
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