Wild Turkey

Wild Turkeys are large, gallinaceous birds with heavy bodies and long necks. This feather shows the classic dark coloration and metallic iridescence that gives the bird its copper-bronze appearance in sunlight. They are social birds often seen foraging in groups called 'rafters'.

Base color is a dark charcoal to black. The most prominent feature is the structural green and bronze iridescence visible on the pennaceous portion. The downy base is a pale, smoky grey.

The distal half is pennaceous and firmly interlocked, providing a smooth surface; the proximal half is extremely plumulaceous (downy) for insulation. Long, fuzzy barbules are visible at the base.

Smooth and glossy on the iridescent pennaceous tip; soft, airy, and silk-like on the plumulaceous base. The iridescent surface has a metallic sheen.

Distinguishable by the combination of dark melanin pigment, vibrant green/bronze iridescence, and the exceptionally large, fluffy downy base compared to the pennaceous tip.

Mature forests with interspersed clearings, orchards, farm fields, and woody swamps.

Year-round resident across most of North America, from southern Canada throughout the United States and into parts of Mexico.

Omnivorous foragers that act as seed dispersers and prey for large predators. They are important indicators of healthy, mature forest ecosystems.

Common Raven (lacks the massive downy base), Black Vulture (lacks iridescence and different shape), or Domestic Turkey (often identical, though domestic breeds may show white tipping).

Wild Turkeys were once considered by Benjamin Franklin as a more 'respectable' national symbol than the Bald Eagle. They can fly surprisingly fast over short distances, reaching up to 55 mph.

Good condition. The barbs are mostly intact, though some separation is visible at the tip, likely due to contact with vegetation or weathering on the ground.