This Turkey Tuesday is about getting the upper hand. Last week, I posted about toms gobbling in the fall, which is at least partially to establish and maintain dominance over other toms in their fall flocks. Well, fall and winter are also the time when toms will get physical with each – to settle their differences with some “fist to cuffs” if you will. The perceived calm and order we see amongst toms in the spring, when they’re displaying for hens like the toms in the 1st image, is only possible after lots of fighting and scuffling in the months leading up to spring. This time of year, you’ll often hear toms chasing each other, with birds vocalizing to each other (purrs, rattles), and inevitably things turn physical. Lots of posturing often leads to fights involving wing flailing and strikes with the legs and spurs, like the toms in the 2nd image are doing. And when one opponent gets the upper hand, other toms will often join in and attack the weaker opponent – “avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak” as they say. The take home is the relative calm and order amongst toms we often see when spring rolls around is only possible because of months of fighting to sort out dominance. Anyone seeing groups of toms getting physical with each other?
Pic by Monte Loomis, reel by Darcy D. Photography
