This Turkey Tuesday is about feathers, which have an amazing array of forms and functions in wild turkeys. Feathers are part of the integumentary system, which includes scales, skin, nails, and hair in other vertebrates, and this system is quite complex. If you look closely at a wild turkey’s feathers, you’ll see some amazing attributes. One, feathers are composed primarily of keratin which allows them to be tough but very light – and each feather has a muscle that controls it, so the bird can move feathers independently. Two, wild turkeys have 5-6,000 feathers but they’re specifically arranged in tracts called pterylae – so there are areas of bare skin between the tracts. Three, wild turkeys carry several types of feathers, including remiges which are the wing primaries and retrices that comprise their tail fans – these feathers help with thrust, lift, and steering during flight. Contour feathers on the wings (called coverts) smooth air flow and provide protection to the bird from weather, and other contour feathers cover the body and base of the tail. These contour feathers are all overlapping like shingles with waterproof tips but fluffy bases that assist with maintaining body temperature. Four, wild turkeys have semiplume and down feathers, which also provide fluffy insulation and help trap heat against the body, and they have bristle feathers on their heads and neck which provide sensitivity to movement and changes in air flow. Lastly, as us turkey hunters know, many of these feathers are involved in displays as toms seek attention from hens, containing stunning iridescence and colors – all of these qualities of feathers can be seen in this image from Darcy D. Photography. The take home is feathers are an amazing, complex part of wild turkeys that have many critical functions.
