This Turkey Tuesday is about strutting, something that every turkey hunter loves to see! Obviously, when we think of strutting, we think about toms strutting to attract hens. Strutting is an elaborate and highly coordinated movement that involves the bird fanning the tail upwards, spreading the wings downward, and dragging the wing tips on the ground. Sometimes when toms strut they also spit and drum, both of which add sound to what is already quite a display, but they don’t always spit or drum when strutting. Outside of attracting hens, toms also strut to assert dominance but once dominance is established within groups of toms – well, they’ll often strut together. Interestingly, strutting is a behavior that begins when poults are only a few days old, and both sexes will readily strut as youngsters. So, strutting appears to be an innate form of communication for wild turkeys, which may explain why even hens strut. It appears that hens strutting to other hens is likely associated with trying to assert dominance, and there’s even reports of hens strutting when predators are present – likely to display aggression and serve as a form of posturing. But why would hens strut around toms (see 2nd pic)? Well, that’s open for debate! The take home is strutting is a behavior that turkey hunters cherish, but clearly it is more complex in interpretation in the wild turkey world.
1st pic Matt Addington, 2nd by Monte Loomis.
