Wild Turkey

Wild Turkeys are large, ground-dwelling birds with heavy bodies and long necks. Measuring up to 45 inches in length with a 5-foot wingspan, they are unmistakable. Males (toms) are especially iridescent with a fleshy 'wattle' and 'snood'.

Strongly iridescent overall with a base of dark brown to black. In direct light, it exhibits a brilliant 'oil-slick' rainbow of copper, green, and violet. Features distinctive white-to-buff horizontal barred banding characteristic of the species.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs throughout most of the vane for flight rigidity; base of the feather shows the transition to softer plumulaceous barbs.

Stiff and slightly oily to the touch; the surface has a high metallic gloss due to structural coloration (iridescence). The leading edge is extremely rigid.

Bold white-and-dark horizontal banding, strong asymmetry in the vane, and a brilliant iridescent sheen that shifts in color depending on the light angle.

Open woodlands, mature forests with interspersed clearings, hardwood and conifer swamps, and occasionally agricultural fields.

Year-round resident across most of the United States, Southern Canada, and parts of Mexico.

Important seed disperser and prey species for large predators; they occupy a mid-level niche in the woodland food web.

Lesser Prairie-Chicken or Ruffed Grouse feathers are much smaller; domestic turkey feathers often lack the intense iridescence of wild variants.

Benjamin Franklin famously preferred the Wild Turkey over the Bald Eagle as a national symbol, calling it a 'Bird of Courage'. They can reach flight speeds of up to 55 mph over short distances.

Good condition; the barbs are mostly intact though there is some light fraying along the edges consistent with natural wear or a molted find.