Pteronophobia is the fear of feathers, feathered objects i.e., birds, or being tickled by feathers. As a turkey hunter I’ll go out on a limb and say turkey hunters aren’t likely to suffer the “fear of feathered objects” part of this affliction. Why? Aside from a turkey’s soul shaking gobble, its breathtakingly stunning plumage captivates us when a strutting spring gobbler’s sun-kissed feathers magically beam a kaleidoscope of colors declaring its majesty. Our hearts may skip a beat and breaths quicken, though not out of fear, but reverent gratitude. As you stroke the feathers of your next tagged turkey take a moment to contemplate the miracle of their perfection.
To better understand the form, function and maintenance of feathers important insight is included from wild turkey expert and researcher, Dr. Michael J. Chamberlain, PhD., Terrell Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia.
Turkey feathers come in a spectacular array of colors and patterns, making them some of the most beautiful feathers found in North America. While domesticated turkeys have been selectively bred to have mostly white feathers, wild turkeys sport plumage in a range of striking earth tones.
Understanding the colors and markings of turkey feathers helps bird watchers identify wild turkeys and appreciate their dazzling plumage Read on for a guide to the various hues that make up their feathers
Overview of Turkey Feather Colors
Turkeys are generally colored in earthy browns, blacks, grays and rusty oranges. However certain feathers may also contain iridescent tones of copper, bronze and green.
Male turkeys, known as toms or gobblers, tend to have the brightest and most vividly colored plumage, especially during mating season. Their feathers are boldly patterned compared to the female turkey’s camouflaged feathers.
Both males and females have distinctive feather groups that include:
- Body feathers
- Wing feathers (primary, secondary and tertiary)
- Tail feathers
- Beard (found on male chest)
- Snood (fleshy projection on male’s forehead)
The colors and patterns differ between these feather groups, as well as between individuals, seasons, and subspecies.
Body Feathers
A turkey’s body is covered in thousands of overlapping body feathers that help insulate them. Body feathers have a denser, fluffier texture than flight feathers.
Males
- Mostly iridescent bronze, copper and green
- Intricate, mottled patterns of brown, black, white, orange and chestnut
Females
- Earthy tones of buff, brown and black
- Neatly barred with thin black and white bands
During mating season, male body feathers become much more vibrant and change to brilliant shades of red, orange, green and blue.
Wing Feathers
Turkeys have three main groups of flight feathers on their wings:
- Primary feathers – Longest feathers located at the wingtip
- Secondary feathers – Medium-length feathers under the primaries
- Tertiary feathers – Shorter feathers towards the body
These stiff, aerodynamic feathers allow turkeys to fly short distances. Their colors and patterns are used to identify between male and female turkeys.
Males
- Primaries tipped with white and bold black-and-white bars
- Secondaries have vibrant bronze, chestnut, and iridescent green sheens
Females
- Primaries narrowly barred with black and brown
- Secondaries camouflage shades of brown and gray
Tail Feathers
A turkey’s tail feathers, also called rectrices, act as rudders when flying. They are exceptionally long in males compared to females.
Males
- 18+ inches long
- Chestnut brown with black, brown and white bands
- Tipped with creamy white or buff edges
Females
- 12 inches long
- Barred narrowly with blackish-brown and gray
- Tipped with buff or chestnut edges
During courtship, male turkeys will flare and fan their tail feathers to attract females. The rectrices accounting for up to half the turkey’s total body length.
Snood and Beard
Two unique features found only on male turkeys are the snood and beard. These fleshy growths protrude from their faces and chests.
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Snood – Bright red or bluish flap of skin over the beak. Will elongate and change color during courtship.
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Beard – Cluster of specialized black feathers resembling coarse hair. Grows from 6-12 inches long.
What Influences Turkey Feather Colors?
Several factors impact the specific shades and patterns of a turkey’s feathers:
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Sex – Male plumage is much more vibrant than females.
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Season – Feather colors intensify during the spring mating season. They are dullest in late summer after molting old feathers.
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Age – Younger birds have less defined patterns in their new feathers.
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Subspecies – The 5 North American wild turkey subspecies have minor variations in plumage colors.
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Diet – Nutrition can also affect feather pigmentation.
The Significance of Turkey Feather Colors
The stunning colors and patterns of turkey plumage serve important purposes for their survival.
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Camouflage allows females to blend into their surroundings while nesting.
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Vibrant males attract females during courtship displays.
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Iridescent feathers signal fitness and health when finding a mate.
For indigenous cultures, turkey feathers carried symbolic meaning and were used in tribal ceremonies and rituals. Many tribes considered the wild turkey a sacred bird.
The varied hues of turkey feathers have long dazzled observers. Now that you know what colors make up their plumage, you can marvel at the spectacle of these birds even more.
5 Subspecies of the Wild Turkey
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Eastern Wild Turkeys (M.g. silvestris) exist in the eastern part of the United States; the name “silvestris” indicates “forest” turkey.
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Florida Wild Turkeys (M.g. Osceola) exist in the southern part of Florida; called for a Seminole chief.
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Merriam’s Wild Turkeys (M.g. merriami) exist in the hilly areas of the western United States; named in respect of the first chief of the United States Biological Survey, C. Hart Merriam.
Studying Turkey Feather Structure
Turkey feathers are one of the most incredible things in Turkeys to study because of their size. You can notice the structures of the feathers more efficiently on a turkey than a small sparrow that you might spot in your backyard.
The central shaft holding the feather to the bird’s body gives the feather its structure. The portion of the shaft that spreads beneath the body is called the calamus.
The portion of the shaft that is detected outside of the bird’s body is known as rachis. The vane of the feather is formed up of barbs that spread out from the rachis.
These barbs have small barbules with hooklets that tie feathers together and offer a smooth surface and shape. Using a hand-held magnifier, you can quickly investigate the small details of feathers that provide them with their unique characteristics.
Today, turkeys have achieved global fame because of their meat’s nutritional value and good taste. However, here we want to share the turkey feathers colors of both wild and domesticated turkeys.
You may have noticed only brown and white-colored turkeys, but you might be amazed at the various colors you’ll find of wild and domesticated turkeys. Each of the breeds has particular characteristics and unique feathers type.
Males are banded with multicolored feathers that shine in bronze, gold, green, copper, and red colors. Some wild classes also have different color phases, for example, gray, black, brown, reddish, and even albino.
You can witness domestic turkeys with a wide variety of colorful feathers. The shades of their feathers are also a great indicator of their production.
Both small and giant turkey species have white-colored feathers. Both Broad Breasted Bronze and Bourbon Red species possess dark coloration that glows with russet, copper, and chestnut colors.
Additional shades colored with bright blue and green color are seen in Gray Narragansett, Blue Slate, and Black Spanish turkeys. Turkeys with white-colored feathers are most well-known and broadly raised for meat production.
Turkey Feather Artist: Nicole Larson
FAQ
What is the rarest turkey color?
The Auburn, also known as the Light Brown, is a breed of domestic turkey. A heritage turkey, the Auburn is one of the rarest varieties currently in existence. It has been referenced by name in written records since the 18th century and is named after the light reddish-brown color of its plumage.
Can turkeys have green feathers?
You probably will be still counting, because Wild Turkeys have upwards of 6,000 feathers. Wild Turkey grooming its feet. And beautiful feathers they are: iridescent red, purple, and green; metallic gold, bronze, copper. The colors
Turkey Feather Pigmentation and Iridescence Explained
Colors in feathers are formed from pigments or from light refraction caused by the structure of the feather, or a combination of both. Pigments such as melanin are the colored substances found in turkey feathers. Melanin can produce colors from the darkest black to reddish browns and pale yellows. Color abnormalities occur when pigments are present or deficient at unusual levels such as in leucistic or melanistic color phases. Structural colors are produced by the structure of the feather as light is refracted. In wild turkeys, iridescence is caused by light refraction off the structure of the feather barbules.
Dr. Chamberlain: The brilliant colors are caused by light refracting off feathers, rather than feather colors. Crystals within the feathers block certain wavelengths of light but allow others to pass, which controls the intensity of colors. Iridescence which is the phenomenon where a surface appears to change colors as the angle of view changes, creates the brilliant shine that makes toms so stunning. Color and iridescence are an important part of the display toms use, and help hens determine the fittest tom in the breeding population.
Wild Turkey Feather Facts
Feathers serve in insulation, waterproofing, protection, concealment and recognition. A turkey’s 5,000 to 6,000 feathers are arranged in tracts, or pterylae. Feathers are composed mostly of keratin, a strong lightweight protein as in our hair and nails. The hollow base is the quill, or calamus. While the feather is growing blood vessels pass through it. The supply cuts off when it’s fully grown. The shaft, or rachis is the midrib extending through the feather’s center giving it stiffness and structure. Rising from both sides of the shaft are small, pigment-embedded structures called barbs. Tiny barbules branch off and lock the barbs together. Tinier hooked barbicels at the barbule’s end hold the feathers completely interlocked in a Velcro like manner. Together they form the soft and colorful vane. Feathers are layered like shingles giving the body shape and aerodynamics necessary for flight. A muscle controls each feather allowing it to move left or right, up or down, fluff or lay flat.
Primary feathers are the stiff, long feathers attached to the rump and wing. These include the typical 18 tail retrices, or fan feathers, which provide flight stability, steering and landing control for the heavy-bodied bird. During mating season, the colorfully displayed fan plays an important role in attracting hens and intimidating rivals. Tip colors in tail feathers and the covert feathers that cover their base vary with subspecies. Brown tips are characteristic of Osceolas, and Easterns. Rio Grandes have tan to buff tips and Merriam’s and Gould’s have whitish tips.
The ten black and white barred primary and 18 or 19 secondary flight feathers are called remiges. Extended, the primaries resemble outstretched fingers and have a long, slightly curved shaft with the vane narrower on the leading side than on the back. Shorter, wider secondaries support the primaries in their function. Specialized covert flight feathers overlay and protect the base of the wing feathers helping to shape them and provide warmth.
Dr. Chamberlain: Wing primaries are attached to the manus (the bird’s hand) and can be individually adjusted like fingers, offering agility in flight. The black and white barring is a way to age birds. Juveniles under a year-old lack barring at the ends of the outermost feathers. Toms use their primaries to draw attention while strutting. The feathers dragging the ground is distinctive to courtship displays. The amount of barring differs across the subspecies. Easterns have slightly more white than black barring, whereas Osceolas have little white barring which makes them appear almost black. Rio Grandes have wing barring that’s mostly equal black to white. Merriam’s and Gould’s have more white than black.
Contour, or body feathers give the bird its shape and colors. A tom’s contour feathers are typically dark with black tips while a hen’s are brownish or gray with
brown to light tips. Contour feathers are layered much like shingles in overlapping rows that form a protective waterproof layer that shields the body. Attached muscles allow the feathers to be held tightly against the body in warm temperatures or fluffed in cold weather to trap air for warmth.
Bristle feathers are hair like feathers that function as sensory tools and grow on the turkey’s head and neck. They’re well developed on hens as shown.
Dr. Chamberlain: We don’t know a ton about bristle feathers although they’ve been studied in other birds. I believe the ones that shield the ear are also bristle feathers, which makes sense because I suspect those feathers assist with sound to the ear and aid the bird in determining directions of sounds. I don’t know that, just a suspicion on my part. The beard is different than the bristle feathers, in that it’s a modified feather that serves primarily in mate attraction (and we believe) status amongst males but similar to other things with turkeys, we really lack an understanding of what all the beard does.
Down feathers, the soft, fluffy white feathers that grow close to the turkey’s body provide excellent insulation by trapping air between the body and the contour feathers. Poults are covered in natal down at hatching, which is rapidly replaced with juvenile feathers.