Wild Turkey (Eastern Wild Turkey)

The Wild Turkey is a large, distinctive ground-dwelling bird native to North America. Known for its striking fan-shaped tail, bare blue and red head, and iridescent body plumage, it is a prominent game bird that thrives in wooded areas and forest edges.

Dark brownish-gray with subtle iridescence showing hints of bronze, copper, and dark greenish sheen under direct light, featuring a pale rachis

Pennaceous upper portion with tightly interlocked barbs and barbules, transitioning to a plumulaceous (fluffy downy) base near the calamus

Smooth and matte along the pennaceous vane with a soft, downy texture at the base

Subtle metallic bronze and copper iridescence on a dark gray-brown background, robust pale rachis, and a fluffy downy base

Mixed hardwood and pine forests with scattered openings, clearings, and agricultural fields

Widespread across North America, introduced in various other parts of the world; highly common as a resident in South Carolina and throughout the eastern United States

Acts as an important seed disperser, insect predator, and a vital prey species for large mammalian and avian predators

Black Vulture or Turkey Vulture, though vulture feathers are typically solid black without the bronze iridescence and distinct shape of turkey body coverts

Wild Turkeys can fly in short bursts up to 55 mph and can swim by tucking their wings and kicking; they also have excellent vision and hearing

Good condition with mostly intact barbs and a minor white spot/debris mark near the lower vane

Charleston, South Carolina