tom turkeys Archives • Into the Light Adventures

It is Strutting Season This has been such a treat to see these wild turkeys up close. Some of these photos were taken through a window. Maybe they will get to the point they won’t run off so quick if they see me out and about trying to get a picture of these beautiful birds, as they get used to me be around.

Turkeys almost always spit and drum when they strut but also do it when not strutting. Unlike a gobble that can carry up to a mile, the ruffling feathers and spit and drum sounds can be difficult for humans to hear beyond a hundred yards, even in the best conditions.

It is quite comical to watch these males strutting around, they are always right next to each other trying to out do the other as they puff up all their feathers. Along with trying to grab the attention of the girls, who on this day were not paying any attention to these two at all.

It is Strutting Season

by Sandra J

Does Anyone Know What This Is

By Sandra | March 24, 2021

Does Anyone Know What This Is, well I did not know until the other day. I have seen wild turkeys from a distance. But never this close. The male turkeys, called Tom’s, are so much more colorful than I knew, especially during this time of year and if the sun is out.

These feathers sticking out from the males are called beards. Males typically have a “beard”, a tuft of coarse hair (modified feathers) growing from the center of the breast. Beards average 230 mm (9.1 in) in length. The longer the beard the older the turkey.

The body feathers are generally blackish and dark, sometimes grey brown overall with a coppery sheen that becomes more complex in adult males. The male is substantially larger than the female, and his feathers have areas of red, purple, green, copper, bronze, and gold iridescence.

Adult males, called toms or gobblers, have a large, featherless, reddish head, red throat, and red wattles on the throat and neck. The head has fleshy growths called caruncles. Juvenile males are called jakes; the difference between an adult male and a juvenile is that the jake has a very short beard and his tail fan has longer feathers in the middle.

Their heads are very colorful, from pinks and blues. Now, their face is a little odd, but their beautiful feathers really make them shine. Tomorrow I will show a couple photos of the Tom’s strutting their stuff. I never know when they will show up and they spook real easy. I hope to get some video of them one of these times.