Wild Turkey

The Wild Turkey is a massive ground bird with a heavy body and long neck. This feather embodies the bird's cryptic but bold plumage. Adult males (toms) are iridescent while females (hens) are more drab, but both share these distinctively barred secondary feathers used for powerful, short-distance flight.

Bold, high-contrast barring of dark chocolate brown to black and creamy white to buff. The dark bands are wider than the light bands, creating a rhythmic striped appearance.

Densely packed pennaceous barbs providing a rigid and aerodynamic surface. The base shows small amounts of plumulaceous (downy) structure near the calamus.

Relatively stiff and smooth to the touch. The surface is matte with a slight waxy sheen characteristic of ground-dwelling birds that need dust and moisture resistance.

Distinctive 'zebra-stripe' barring, broad rounded tip, and a very thick, rigid central rachis.

Open woodlands, mixed forests with clearings, pastures, and agricultural fields. They prefer areas with large trees for roosting at night.

Year-round resident across most of North America, from southern Canada throughout the United States to central Mexico.

Ominvorous foragers that act as seed dispersers and keep insect populations in check. They are a primary prey source for large predators like bobcats and coyotes.

May be confused with Barred Owl feathers, but owl feathers have a velvety 'fringe' on the edges for silent flight, which this turkey feather lacks.

Wild Turkeys were famously proposed by Benjamin Franklin as a more 'respectable' national bird than the Bald Eagle. They can fly at speeds up to 55 mph in short bursts.

Good to Excellent. The vanes are mostly intact with very minor separation at the trailing edge, suggesting it was recently molted.