Wild Turkey (Eastern or Rio Grande subspecies)

A robust, large-bodied ground bird with a naked head and colorful plumage. Males (toms) feature iridescent feathers that glow with copper and green tones, while females (hens) are more muted for camouflage.

Complex vermiculation and barring; dark iridescent black or charcoal base with copper/bronze wavy bars and a distinct white or buff-colored tipping at the apex

Pennaceous (interlocked) for the upper 70% and plumulaceous (downy) at the base; includes a distinct afterfeather

Upper surface is smooth and slightly glossy with a metallic sheen; basal portion is soft, fluffy, and matte

Squared-off tip with a white fringe, bronze-copper horizontal barring, and a downy grey base with aftershaft

Mixed deciduous and coniferous forests interspersed with open fields, pastures, and shrublands

Resident throughout North America from southern Canada to Mexico; introduced populations exist elsewhere

Omnivorous foragers that act as seed dispersers and insect controllers; they are also a primary prey species for large carnivores

Ruffed Grouse (smaller, different pattern), Ring-necked Pheasant (more pointed tips), or domestic turkey varieties

Wild Turkeys have between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers; they were famously proposed by Benjamin Franklin as a more 'respectable' national symbol than the Bald Eagle

Good condition; slight fraying at the tip suggests natural wear or friction from movement through brush