Florida Wild Turkey
by D Hackett
Title
Florida Wild Turkey
Artist
D Hackett
Medium
Photograph - Digital
Description
Florida Wild Turkey by D Hackett
WILD TURKEY
Males have one spur on each leg, which is composed of an enlarged scale overlying a conical core of bone fused to the tarsometatarsus (a compound bone between the tibia and the toes of a bird's leg, formed by fusion of the tarsal and metatarsal bones). Adult males also have a "beard" on their chests. The beard is a patch of modified feathers in which the vanes are absent and only the shaft remains. Caruncle, wart-like swellings on the head, develop on the males during the breeding season as an adornment to attract females.
Turkeys, both adult and juvenile, are good swimmers and very strong fliers.
Males are polygamous, meaning they mate with several females. Each spring the male performs a courtship display to entice females. This involves spreading his tail feathers into a fan similar to that of a peacock, drooping and rattling his flight feathers and strutting
Uploaded
February 24th, 2015
Embed
Share