Wild turkeys roam our neighborhood and our pastures below the house. We have a large front yard and sometimes they congregate there and just mosey around. No cows bother them here.
Today though, they are in full turkey strut. I took these photos through the front window because going outside would have probably scared them off.
According to NWTF, the strut of a wild turkey consists of five activities.
1. They drop their wings and allow them to touch the ground.
2. They fan their tails.
3. Their heads turn blue, or sometimes red and the crown is usually pure white.
4. They poof out their breast feathers to make themselves look larger.
5. They will position their necks into an S shape.
One more thing...during a strut they usually take a few steps and shake, then utter a spitting sound and/or a deep drumming sound.
Next time they strut in my yard I will sneak outside to try to hear that, because I didn't from inside the house. I did see them shake though.
Strutting, is, of course, a courtship display. It usually occurs in an open field with plenty of sunlight, where they can fan out and show off their fine feathers to the hens. I don't know if males fight each other, but I did see them getting up in each others faces a time or two.
So interesting I had to share it with you. Here is the link to read more about the Turkey Strut. NWTFhttp://www.nwtf.org/hunt/article/why-the-strut
This is awesome! I think turkeys are amazing and fun to watch
ReplyDeleteMe too, Julie. Thanks for coming by all the way from Florida. lol
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