Wild Turkey

This feather belongs to the Wild Turkey, a large, ground-dwelling bird known for its fan-shaped tail and bare, colorful head. The feather displays the classic metallic sheen used for display and camouflage.

Rich iridescent bronze, copper, and green tones with a distinct, dark terminal band of black melanin. The base is typically a charcoal or dark gray.

The distal portion is pennaceous and tightly interlocked, while the proximal base is highly plumulaceous (downy) for insulation.

The surface is glossy and metallic due to structural coloration, with a stiff, smooth texture on the vane and a very soft, fuzzy texture at the base.

Square-tipped iridescent bronze coloration with a thick dark terminal band and a very downy base.

Open woodlands, forests with clearings, and agricultural fields where they can forage for nuts, seeds, and insects.

Found throughout much of North America, from southern Canada through the United States to central Mexico; widely introduced in other regions.

Omnivorous foragers that act as seed dispersers and are a major prey species for large predators like bobcats and coyotes.

Ocellated Turkey (found only in Yucatan), which has more 'eyes' or spots on feathers; and various large grouse, which lack the intense metallic bronze iridescence.

Wild Turkeys was famously proposed by Benjamin Franklin as the national bird of the US (though mostly in jest). They can fly up to 55 mph over short distances.

The specimen appears to be in excellent condition, likely a recently molted feather with minimal sun bleaching or mechanical wear.