What is the purpose of the beard on the Turkey?
The MF Guide to Turkey Anatomy
- Snood. This is the fleshy appendage that extends over the beak. ...
- Wattles. In the most general sense, wattles refer to fleshy appendages hanging from the neck or chin of many types of animals.
- Caruncles. The warty protuberances on the head of a turkey are called caruncles. ...
- Leg Spurs. ...
- Breast Beards. ...
- Feathers and Their Functions. ...
Can a Turkey have more than one beard?
“Multiple beards on a bird is not a common occurrence, with estimates suggesting that less than 10% of toms sport more than one beard,” said Dr. Mike Chamberlain, our favorite wild turkey researcher, from the University of Georgia. Beards grow from a papilla—an oval-shaped, raised part of the skin on a turkey’s breast.
Why do turkeys have beards?
Fun Facts About Turkey’s Beards
- Only 5 to 10 percent of turkey hens have beards, likely due to a genetic mutation.
- As per NWTF Wild Turkey Records, the Mumpower turkey bird had 13 beards.
- Less than 10% of the gobbler population has more than one beard.
- According to the National Wild Turkey Foundation records, the longest turkey beard was 18 inches.
What is the average length of a turkey beard?
Beard Length. Beards begin growing when turkeys are about 5 months old, and keep growing 4 to 5 inches annually. According to Turkey & Turkey Hunting magazine, a 2-year-old gobbler’s beard usually measures 8 to 10 inches. When it’s 3 years old, a gobbler’s beard will have grown about 14 inches.
What is the tuft of hair on a turkey?
beardA Wild Turkey's “beard” is the tuft that looks a bit like a miniature horsetail dangling from its breast. Year-old males have beards up to about five inches long, while toms three or more years old can have beards that are 10 inches or longer.
What does it mean when a turkey has multiple beards?
Beards grow from a papilla—an oval-shaped, raised part of the skin on a turkey's breast. Most male turkeys have just one papilla. For every papilla a turkey grows, an additional beard develops. And, although hen turkeys also have papilla, they just don't usually express it.
What is the beard thing on a turkey called?
This fleshy, bumpy skin has a name: the wattle. It's different from the long piece of flesh that grows down from the bird's forehead, which is called a "snood," according to PBS. Snoods can be short, sticking up like a horn, or long, extending past the nose.
Do female turkeys have a beard?
Turkey Beards That's called a beard, and it's made of modified feathers. Male turkeys, called gobblers – and some female turkeys, called hens – have beards. Only about 10 to 20 percent of hens grow beards, and it's likely a genetic mutation, according to Sciencing.com.
Should I shoot a jake turkey?
No biological reason exists on whether or not hunters should kill a jake. If a jake is taken legally, no biological backlash comes from harvesting that bird, other than reducing the potential of 2 year olds that could be in the area the following year (which can be a lot of fun to hunt).
What is the purpose of a turkey's wattle?
Wattles are an adaptive feature that come in handy in several ways. On a hot day, with the sun bearing down, the bare skin of neck and wattle helps release excess heat. Birds don't sweat—they can't sweat—so the turkey is otherwise trapped in its dense, dark feathers.
Do we eat male or female turkeys?
Both genders are sold commercially. A turkey's age is the biggest factor in how it tastes. Since old females have tough meat, the hens are usually eaten when they are young and small. Conversely, older males are preferred to younger ones because younger ones generally have stringy meat.
Why do turkeys have gross heads?
Scientists haven't found any specific function for the snood, but it does fill up with blood and hangs over the beak when male turkeys are strutting and showing off looking for mate. According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, females prefer to mate with long-snooded males.
What is the tuft of hair on a turkey?
The tuft of hair on a turkey is called a beard/ tassel. It is not hair actually but modified feathers hanging down from its chest.
What is the red thing hanging on a turkey?
That red hanging thing on a turkey is called a wattle. It is a bright red fleshy skin that hangs from the turkey’s neck. It is different from a snood.
Conclusion
Turkeys have a set of bristles or hair hanging from their chest which is called beard.
Weight Watchers
There are five subspecies of turkeys in the United States. The five subspecies are Merriam’s, Rio Grande, Eastern, Gould’s and Osceola. If you hunt Eastern turkeys, you have a distinct advantage over the other subspecies regarding weight. The Eastern is the heaviest of turkeys and can weigh over 25 pounds.
Spur Size Matters
There is nothing more gratifying than calling in a big Tom on a frosty spring morning and then making a great shot and noticing he is sporting a big set of spurs. It’s a feeling even the warmest hunting clothes don't hide. Osceola turkeys are known to have the longest spurs, with Eastern turkeys a close second.
Measuring Blackbeard
Watching a big Tom waddle across an open field will get your heart racing. You know you have a big Tom when you notice he is considerably bigger than your decoy. If his beard is dragging the ground, then take the shot as soon as you get it. A turkey like that will give you instant turkey camp-cred and bragging rights for the rest of the weekend.
It All Adds Up
Who really has bragging rights this year? Since the weight, spur length and beard length all play into the score, an average bird in every category has a chance to win camp bragging rights. With the weight, spur length and beard length properly scored, the moment of truth is at hand.
Know That You Know
Of course, turkeys are not an easy quarry and any turkey is a trophy. The combined score doesn’t take into consideration the difficulty of finally calling in a hung-up Tom that came in from the wrong direction and the shot you made was leaning around a tree.
Snood
This is the fleshy appendage that extends over the beak. While it looks like a pint-sized version of an elephant’s trunk, the purpose of the snood is not to grab food, it’s to grab the attention of a mate.
Wattles
In the most general sense, wattles refer to fleshy appendages hanging from the neck or chin of many types of animals. Pigs, goats, chickens, and turkeys are all capable of growing wattles. With pigs and goats, the wattle is covered in hair and has no known biological function.
Caruncles
The warty protuberances on the head of a turkey are called caruncles. Technically, wattles and snoods are types of caruncles, but on turkeys the term usually refers to all the flesh that is not a wattle or a snood. If you look closely at the caruncles around the skull, you’ll see a pea-sized orifice behind each eye, which are the turkey’s ears.
Leg Spurs
If the facial features aren’t enough for you to tell a hen from a tom, look at the legs. They’re not pretty to look at either in either sex (very scaly and reptilian), but male turkeys have a special claw, known as a spur, part way down the back of the leg, just a couple inches above the feet.
Breast Beards
Now for the feathered body parts. As male turkeys mature, they developed a clump of slender, fibrous feathers in the center of their breast, which is referred to as a beard or a tassel. A turkey’s beard resembles a horse’s tail, except it’s shorter and on the front of the body.
Feathers and Their Functions
Feathers on male and female turkeys are essentially the same, at least when it comes to practical matters. They have short, downy feathers on their breasts and back for warmth.
