Wild Turkey | Peacocks of the Forest

A few different times I have been walking in the woods and heard movement in the leaf litter. The quality of the sound indicates that it's an animal far bigger than a chipmunk or a squirrel. Is it a bear, I wonder? Or maybe a deer? I look in the direction of the sound and am delighted to see a flock of wild turkeys making their way through the forest. Seeing these goofy looking birds always makes me light up about five shades brighter. They're unfeathered heads with a short unicorn stub and a neck that's replete with floppy, odd-looking flesh and red knobs. What is this all about? The wild turkey is a heavy-bodied game bird with a slender neck, a bare head, and strong, thick legs. Its dark brown feathers are iridescent and depending on the angle of the light, may take on a sheen of green, blue, purple, gold, or copper. The wings are dark brown and black and have white barring. Their long, rounded tails are chestnut brown with a thick band of black towards the end and caramel-colored tips. There are a few species that look similar to the wild turkey. The first is the oscillated turkey, found in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, as well as parts of Belize and Guatemala. Notice the blue skin on the head and neck and the nodules around the eye. Then there is the helmeted guinea fowl, who is great at providing pest control and guarding chicken coops with their loud calls. Lastly, the ring-necked pheasant, who is half the size and one quarter the weight of the wild turkey. The wild turkey is a non-migrating bird native to North America. It is made up of six different subspecies, each one affording greater adaptability to its unique habitats. For example, changes may include having longer legs for prairie habitat or darker feathers to better blend in with its environment. These ranges overlap throughout the different regions of the United States, parts of southern Canada, and Mexico. There are significant differences between the males and females. The males, known as toms or gobblers, weigh 11 to 24 pounds, and females, or hens, are much smaller, weighing five and a half to 12 pounds. These shy and secretive birds can be found in open woodlands, poking about the forest floor in search of nuts, acorns, seeds, insects, or berries. With their floppy waddles and lumpy and bumpy skin, turkey anatomy and plumage are sure to catch the eye of all who behold them. The unicorn snub that I referred to in the beginning of the video is known as the snood. In females, it is short or even non-existent. Males who are less than one year of age are referred to as jakes and have a longer snood than the females. In mature males, however, it is much longer, often draping over the bill or hanging off to the side like a trunk. Its sole purpose is for attracting a mate. The evolutionary purpose of the snood in females is unknown. During courtship, the snood becomes brightly colored and elongates up to five inches. Males with the brightest and longest snoods are more likely to have the chance to breed. Another distinctive feature is the turkey's waddle. Also known as the dewlap, this bare flap of skin extends from the underside of the bill to the neck. As with the snood, during courtship, it fills with blood and turns bright red, indicating the male's health and vitality. It also communicates dominance over other males in the flock, as a larger waddle means he is higher ranking in the social hierarchy. And then there are the caruncles, the unfeathered or sparsely feathered bulbous knobs and growths on the back of the neck and extending down below the waddle. Technically speaking, the waddle and snood are types of caruncles, but in turkeys, the term is used to describe the fleshy bits other than the waddle and snood. During the courtship display, the blood vessels of the caruncles dilate, turning the neck bright red, while those on the head contract, turning the skin a vibrant blue. Besides its role in sexual selection, these structures are mediums of communication, conveying mood through color and size. For example, the color of the caruncles and waddle may fade if the turkey is scared or threatened, or they may become short and brightly colored if showing aggression towards other males. The brush-like feathers that hang out of the male's chest are referred to as the breastbeard or tassel. It is believed that these are also used in attracting a mate. The older the bird, the longer the beard, sometimes growing up to 12 inches in length. It should be noted that sometimes females will grow the beard feathers too, although theirs are much shorter than that of the male. Now, spurs are something that only males have. They are located on the back of the leg a couple of inches above the feet. In these birds, the spur is about the size of a rose thorn. It continues to grow each year, eventually getting to be about two inches long or longer. The spur is used when sparring with other males to assert dominance. Wild turkeys have superb eyesight. Their eyes are positioned on the side of their heads, giving them a 270-degree field of vision. Even more impressive is that their retinas contain seven different types of photoreceptors composed of one rod and six cones. To put this into perspective, humans have four different types of photoreceptors containing one rod and three cones. Their complex retinas allow them to see the UVA light spectrum, which helps them to find food, attract a mate, and avoid predators. They have even been known to outsmart well-camouflaged hunters. They can see things that we can't, such as the phosphates in laundry detergent that brighten clothes. These chemicals can cause the fabrics to give off a blue glow, making the If you weren't sure if wild turkeys can fly, well, they definitely can. They aren't so good at seeing in low light, so when nightfall comes, they fly high up in the trees to roost in flocks, away from the ground-dwelling predators of the night. To supplement their superior eyesight, they also have excellent hearing. Their ears are located on the sides of their heads. Sometimes they are bare, and sometimes they are covered with fine, delicate feathers. They can pinpoint the source of a sound by assessing the lag time between when sound arrives on either side of their head, and therefore locate the source of the sound with precision. It's kind of like a built-in auditory GPS. Wild turkeys are fast, both on the ground and in flight. They can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour, and fly up to 55 miles per hour. Their short, rounded wings make them agile flyers in open woodlands and grasslands. One fun fact about these birds is that if they need to, they can swim. They tuck their wings in, fan their tails, and kick their legs, much like that of a duck. Courtship occurs between February and April. During this time, groups of males will display for the females by puffing up their feathers, letting their wings droop, and fanning out their gorgeous tails like peacocks. The snood, wattle, and caruncles take on vibrant colors, advertising what good genes they have. A group of males will perform for the females, strutting and showing off and making the characteristic gobbling sound. It is only the males who gobble, and only during the breeding season. Dominant males are the ones who get to breed, and will mate with as many females as possible. Think of it like this. The dominant male is the lead singer of a music group, and the subordinate males are the backup singers. The dominant male is the star of the show, and all eyes are on him. Outside of the breeding season, males and females live in segregated flocks, each with their own social hierarchy of dominance. After mating, the male and female go their separate ways again. The male has no involvement in incubation of eggs or rearing of the young. The female makes a nest on the ground, under the base of a tree, or in a thick pile of brush. She lays anywhere from 4 to 17 heavily speckled, cream-colored eggs. The chicks, also known as poults, hatch after 25 to 31 days of incubation, and are able to leave the nest about one day after. The poults stay with their mother through their first fall. Oftentimes, multiple females and their broods combine together, forming a large flock. I think that wild turkeys are such beautiful and fascinating birds. It's always a special treat when I get to see them in the wild. Do you have wild turkeys where you live? What was the most interesting fact that stood out to you? That's all for today. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you next time.