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To the Beauty of Birds

Wild Turkeys Meleagris gallopavo and vultures have some of the ugliest faces of all the birds.

Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green legs and a black body. 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. When males are excited, a fleshy flap on the bill expands, and this, the wattles and the bare skin of the head and neck all become engorged with blood, almost concealing the eyes and bill. The long fleshy object over a male's beak is called a snood. When a male turkey is excited, its head turns blue; when ready to fight, it turns red. Each foot has three toes, and males have a spur behind each of their lower legs. Male turkeys have a long, dark, fan-shaped tail and glossy bronze wings.
We joined a bird walk along the San Pedro River just north of Mexico and ended up in Gordon’s (the guide) lawn with two Wild Turkeys (8124, 8156). How such a face ever evolved is a mystery. Since they are slow moving bird, making a lot of noise as they strut, the most likely explanation for the face is to scare away predators. Fortunately for lovers of Thanksgiving dinner it did not scare away humans.

The 6000 series photographs of female Wild Turkeys were taken on the Rouge River in mid October.

The photos in the 4000 series were taken near New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Wild Turkey