Courtship Display - Wild Turkey
by Nikolyn McDonald
Title
Courtship Display - Wild Turkey
Artist
Nikolyn McDonald
Medium
Photograph - Digitally Enhanced
Description
A male turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) most commonly displays or struts in the spring mating season. This ritual is more complex than one might think. The tom drops his wings, allowing the feathers to touch the ground. He hold his tail up and fans its feathers. He also contracts muscles located at the base of each feather to cause his back and breast feathers to stand out from his body, making him look larger. The gobbler draws its head and neck down and in, forming an "S" shape, and elongates the snood or fleshy protuberance above its bill - often so much so that it hangs down and covers the bill as it does here.
I photographed this fine fellow in eastern Nebraska in late spring.
Background textures from Daily Texture.
Features: A Woman's Touch
Uploaded
May 7th, 2022
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