This Turkey Tuesday is about the many interesting aspects of a wild turkey’s head. Obviously, we look at a tom’s head and we see colors – those reds, whites, and blues in many ways define our time in the spring woods. But a turkeys’ head is about more than color, although obviously these stunning colors serve to attract attention, and help toms secure breeding opportunities with hens. For one, it is believed that turkeys at least partially identify one another by their heads. Two, toms change blood flow to the caruncles, which are the fleshy tissues around the head and neck, to accomplish several things – for one, changes in coloration help toms convey attitude and mood – all of us turkey hunters have watched head colorations change and sometimes those changes occur in an instant. In fact, it’s plausible that toms are capable of changing coloration in their caruncles in ways that relay fitness information to hens as the brilliance of coloration has been shown to be associated with higher fitness in some critters. Three, changing blood flow to the caruncles also allows toms to dissipate heat and maintain appropriate body temperatures. Lastly, although the head and neck are mostly not feathered, the presence of hair-like bristle and filoplume feathers serve partially as sensory aids, as they detect changes in air flow. The take home is a wild turkey’s head is a melting pot of interesting features and adaptations that serve to obtain and convey information far beyond just attraction.
Pic by Clayton Worrell.
