Wild Turkey

This is a robust secondary flight feather from a Wild Turkey, a large ground-dwelling bird characterized by its massive size, bald head, and fan-shaped tail. The iridescent qualities reflect the bird's metallic plumage used in courtship displays.

Dusky brown to near-black ground color with a distinct iridescent copper-bronze sheen. The vane shows faint, darker terminal banding and a lighter grayish-white wash toward the base.

Highly pennaceous and tightly interlocked along the distal and middle portion, becoming plumulaceous (fluffy) at the very base near the calamus.

Smooth and relatively stiff with a waxy, metallic luster on the dorsal surface. The ventral side is more matte and silvery-grey.

Large size, sturdy ivory rachis, iridescent bronze-black coloration, and the specific curvature of a Galliform secondary feather.

Mature hardwood and mixed pine-oak forests, such as those in Hitchcock Woods, interspersed with open clearings and fields.

Resident throughout North America, including the entire Eastern United States and parts of Mexico and Southern Canada. Non-migratory.

Generalist omnivores that disperse seeds and control insect populations. They serve as a vital prey species for large predators and indicate a healthy forest ecosystem.

Black Vulture feathers are similar in size but lack the iridescent sheen and have a different rachis structure; Golden Eagle feathers are much larger and usually have different banding.

The Wild Turkey was Benjamin Franklin's preferred choice for the national bird of the US. They can fly in short bursts up to 55 mph and roost in trees at night to avoid predators.

Good condition with some minor fraying at the tip and trailing edge. The calamus is intact, suggesting a natural molt.

Hitchcock woods, Aiken, sc