What is the 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.

That strange, fleshy appendage hanging over a turkey’s beak is called a snood. Both male and female turkeys have snoods, but they are more prominent on male turkeys. Read on to learn all about the intriguing turkey snood.

What is the Snood Exactly?

The snood is an elongated flap of skin projecting from the forehead right above a turkey’s beak. It hangs down over the beak, drooping close to the chest on an adult male turkey.

On hens and younger male turkeys, called jakes, the snood is much shorter and less pronounced But it is present on both sexes.

The turkey’s snood is made up of erectile tissue that becomes engorged with blood and elongates when the turkey is excited It changes color along with the head

Key Functions of the Turkey Snood

While the snood may look like an odd decoration, it actually serves several important functions:

Cooling: The snood has a large surface area with many blood vessels underneath. As blood circulates through the snood, heat dissipates from the turkey’s head and body. This helps cool the turkey.
Attracting Hens: On male turkeys, the dramatic size and color changes of an engorged snood catch the eyes of females during mating displays. Studies show hens prefer males with large snoods.
Dominance Displays: The dominant male turkey tends to have the largest, most colorful snood in its flock. The snood signals his status to other males when inflated and exhibited during strutting.
Emotions: As a male turkey’s mood changes, so does his snood. It instantly indicates aggression, breeding interest, fear, and more based on its size, color, and posture.
Health Indicator: Snood condition correlates with the male turkey’s overall health and parasite load. Hens likely use it to assess potential mates.

Snood Differences Between Hens, Jakes and Toms

Hens have the smallest snood of the three. It barely hangs below the beak and does not display dramatic changes in size or color.

Jakes are juvenile male turkeys under 2 years old. Their snood is intermediate in size and can engorge some when excited. But it remains short compared to a mature tom.

Toms are adult male turkeys over 2 years old. They sport a prominent snood up to 12 inches long that becomes pronounced and brilliantly colored when engorged.

The Snood Changes with the Turkey’s Mood

A turkey’s emotions are easily read through its snood and head color changes:

Pale and Small: When relaxed, the snood is pale pink and limp on top of the beak. The head is also a muted red. This signals a passive, calm mood.
Engorged and Elongated: When excited and ready to breed or fight, the snood enlarges and dangles well below the beak. It becomes bright red or blue along with the head.
Constricted: If alarmed, the snood pulls in tight against the beak temporarily. This indicates wariness before the turkey decides to flee.

Helpful Hunting Tips Based on Snood Signals

Here’s how hunters can use snood signals to interact with turkeys:

Toms with small, relaxed snoods are less aggressive. Use soft calls and minimal decoys.
Call loudly and aggressively to inflated, excited snoods ready to breed.
When the snood tightens in alarm, get ready to shoot immediately.
Target the less dominant toms with smaller snoods rather than the dominant male to help future turkey numbers.
As the snood shrinks, a tom is preparing to flee. Time is running out!

The Fascinating Turkey Snood

From an anatomical oddity to an informative display, the intriguing turkey snood serves the bird in more ways than meet the eye. This unique appendage provides hunters helpful insight into turkeys as well. Next time you’re in the turkey woods, keep an eye on this expressive feature!

what is the 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.

What is a snood on a turkey?

FAQ

What is the purpose of a turkey’s snood?

“One, it’s part of the head ornamentation that males use, so it’s important in attracting attention from females. Two, it also assists with heat dissipation when turkeys are dealing with hot weather.”

What is the red thing on a turkey snood?

These birds are big — sometimes tipping the scales at more than 20 pounds — but what most often catches our eyes is the bright red skin that hangs from the birds’ necks. This fleshy, bumpy skin has a name: the wattle.

What is the snood used for?

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.