Wild Turkey

This is a classic 'body scale' feather from the Wild Turkey, North America's largest upland game bird. The bird itself is massive with long legs, a bald head with red/blue wattles, and dark, iridescent plumage that appears black from a distance but glows with copper and green in sunlight.

Features a dark charcoal-grey to black base. The distal tip shows a distinctive coppery-bronze to iridescent green sheen, followed by a thick black subterminal band and several thinner chestnut-brown or copper horizontal bars (vermiculations).

The lower two-thirds of the feather are plumulaceous (downy) with loose, soft barbs for insulation. The upper third is pennaceous with tightly interlocked barbs providing a smooth, weather-resistant surface.

The downy base is extremely soft and airy, while the iridescent tip is stiff, smooth, and glossy. The surface has a structural metallic shimmer common in Galliformes.

Squared-off tip, iridescent green-gold terminal sheen, thick black subterminal band, and a highly fluffy, oversized downy base.

Mature forests with open understories, interspersed with agricultural fields, grasslands, and marshes. They prefer areas with large trees for roosting and open ground for foraging.

Common across North America, from Southern Canada through the United States to Central Mexico. They are non-migratory permanent residents.

Omnivorous foragers that act as seed dispersers and insect controllers. They are a primary prey species for large predators like bobcats and coyotes.

Ocellated Turkey feathers have 'eye' spots similar to peacocks. Domestic Turkey feathers often lack the intense metallic iridescence or may have white tips (Bourbon Red or Narragansett varieties).

Benjamin Franklin famously preferred the Wild Turkey over the Bald Eagle as a national symbol, calling it a 'Bird of Courage.' Turkeys can fly up to 55 mph and roost in trees at night to avoid predators.

Excellent condition. The barbs are mostly intact and zip together well. There is no significant sun bleaching or 'fault bars' (weak points caused by nutritional stress).