Wild Turkey

Large, heavy-bodied ground bird with long legs and a wide, fan-shaped tail. Males (toms) are iridescent bronze with bald, colorful heads, while feathers like this primary provide the lift for their short, powerful bursts of flight.

Base color is a dark brownish-gray or charcoal; featuring distinct, transverse white to off-white barring/banding throughout the length of the vanes.

Densely packed and tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs providing a rigid, aerodynamic surface; plumulaceous barbs concentrated at the base (calamus area).

Relatively stiff and coarse; matte finish on the dorsal surface with a slightly oily, water-repellent quality characteristic of ground-dwelling birds.

Bold white-on-dark-gray transverse bars on a large, asymmetrical primary feather; thick, sturdy tan rachis.

Open woodlands, hardwood forests with scattered openings, pastures, and agricultural fields.

Common throughout North America, from southern Canada through the United States to central Mexico; non-migratory resident.

Omnivorous ground forager that helps control insect populations and disperses seeds; serves as a significant prey species for large predators.

Great Horned Owl (softer texture, fringe on leading edge), various large hawk species (usually have different banding or mottling patterns).

Benjamin Franklin famously preferred the Wild Turkey over the Bald Eagle as a national symbol, calling it a 'Bird of Courage'. They can run up to 25 mph and fly up to 55 mph.

Fair to Good; shows some separation of the barbs (zipper-like gaps) toward the leading edge and tip, typical of a molted specimen.