Wild Turkey; also called Turkey

The feather’s high-contrast barring and long tapered form suggest a Wild Turkey. Adults are large, ground-foraging gamebirds with broad wings, long legs, and a fan-shaped tail; they give gobbling calls and make strong but typically short flights.

Dark brown to nearly black with repeated pale cream-white crossbars, narrowing toward the tip; the shaft appears pale. The bold barring is characteristic of turkey plumage, though similar patterns occur in other birds.

Dense, interlocking pennaceous barbs form a firm vane; no obvious fraying or fluffy down is visible.

A slender, light-colored rachis divides the vanes; dark and pale bars are formed by contrasting barb pigmentation across the vane.

Appears smooth, matte, and fairly stiff, with tightly aligned barbs and no obvious glossy iridescence.

Probably from the wing. Its elongated, asymmetric outline and strongly patterned vane favor a flight feather over a body feather.

Long, dark feather crossed by repeated pale bars, with a pale shaft and asymmetric vane. These traits support turkey, but the image does not establish species or feather position conclusively.

Wild Turkeys use open woodland, forest edges, fields, and brushy areas, often roosting in trees and foraging on the ground.

Native to North America, occurring across much of the United States and parts of southern Canada and Mexico; largely resident, with local seasonal movements.

Wild Turkeys are omnivores that eat seeds, nuts, insects, and other small foods, serving as both predators and prey. They are widespread and generally considered a species of least conservation concern, though local habitat conditions matter.

Barred feathers of grouse, pheasants, and large hawks can resemble this specimen. Feather size, shaft and vane asymmetry, and the precise bar pattern help, but a single feather may not permit reliable species identification.

Wild Turkeys roost in trees at night despite spending much of the day on the ground. Males display with fanned tails and gobbles during courtship.

Turkey feathers have longstanding cultural significance among Indigenous peoples and are used in traditional arts and regalia. Feathers from wild birds may be subject to collection laws; check local regulations before keeping them.

Compare multiple feathers from the same site and use a ruler, photographs of both sides, and regional feather guides. Look near woodland roosts or feeding areas, while following local rules on collecting feathers.

Appears intact and in good condition, with no clear breakage, heavy wear, or contamination visible; age and molt status cannot be determined from the photo.