How Many Feathers Does A Turkey Have? Fun Facts For Kids

Wild turkeys are native to the lands of North America, and a turkey can be found in every state except Alaska.

Turkeys are known for their gobble and their tendency to attack birds and people who they see as subordinates, especially during the mating season. A turkey is classified as a member of the family Phasianidae.

You might know these birds as ‘jakes’. There are two turkey species in general.

The first domestication evidence of these birds comes from Indians of pre-Columbian Mexico. The populations of wild turkey nearly went extinct in the 18th and 20th centuries because of overhunting and habitat loss.

Restoration efforts were made in 1940, and in today’s time, the region of wild turkeys has expanded beyond the regions of North America to regions such as Mexico and Canada.

You might think that the turkey is the national bird of the US, but that is not the case as the national bird of the country is the eagle. Turkeys have short legs and can run at fast speeds.

Read further for more turkey facts, afterward do check how many legs does a ladybug have and how many legs do insects have.

How many feathers do average turkeys have?

Wild turkey feathers are one of the great bird feathers to study because of their sheer size. The structure of a turkey feather is more visible when compared to other birds such as sparrows. They have many feathers. Well, according to the National Turkey Federation, there are about 5,000-6,000 feathers on the body of a mature adult turkey.

The tail of the turkey has 18 feathers, and the wings have 10 feathers, which are stiff in nature. The feathers of this famous thanksgiving bird are sometimes used as an ornament.

In the season of spring, male turkeys spread their wings which are called puffing, to allure female hen turkey. Adult male turkeys have different colors of feathers such as bronze, red and green, whereas adult female turkeys have brown, tan, and cream colors for their feathers.

In about 10-20% of female turkeys, you will see a long beard of feathers. The feathers of both male turkeys and female turkeys are quite large.

Almost all primary feathers of a turkey hold great importance as they allow this bird to fly to small heights and the secondary feathers are not important for the flight of this bird. Turkey’s feathers cover its entire body and create a pattern which is known as feather tracts.

At what age turkeys grow feathers?

The feathers of a turkey are not strong enough to help a large-size turkey during its life. Turkey feathers are sometimes associated with symbols of fertility and pride.

You might find this surprising but feathers are present in feather follicles in a baby turkey that is yet to hatch, and these feathers become visible on the tenth day of the incubation. The younger chicks need more protection, heat, and protein to survive.

As these chicks grow, their downy fuzz becomes feathers around the five to six weeks mark.

These feathers would allow these chicks to regulate their body temperatures.

The proper feathers on chicks develop on the 11th day of the incubation, and the feathers which grow on the body of these chicks contain something which is called keratin, and this is responsible for giving coloring and shading to its feathers. Female turkeys mature at a faster rate as compared to male turkeys.

A hen would mature in 16 weeks and could weigh around 6.6-15.4 lb (3-7 kg), whereas the male turkey matures in about 19 weeks and weighs anywhere between 15.4-22 lb (7-10 kg).

You can check the gender of a turkey by seeing tail feathers and feathers of the wing.

See the feathers of the turkey on its breast and sides to determine its sex; with males, these feathers are usually black, and you can see brown feathers on females. On adult turkeys, the outermost of the primary feathers have more of a rounded tip and white bars which extend to the end.

Whereas on young turkeys, the outermost feathers have more of a sharp tip, and white bars stop at a point before the end.

On an average adult turkey, tail feathers are the same in their length and give the tail fan an even look, whereas, with young turkeys, few of the central feathers of the tail are longer than the outermost tail feathers, which gives them more of an uneven look when compared to adult turkeys.

A wild turkey’s beard grows off the sheath, which is attached to the skin of the wild turkey on the breast.

Beards that are equal or longer than 6 in (15.2 cm) in length can be found on adult wild turkeys, whereas beards are short with young turkeys. Adult turkeys can have more than one beard.

Spurs are known to grow throughout a turkey’s entire life, and almost all of the male turkeys have spurs, whereas it is extremely rare to find any kind of spur on an average female turkey.

Do you know that wild turkey does not have a long lifespan, and in the open wild, they can live up to 10 years?

Wild Vs Domestic Turkey

Keep in mind, while both wild turkeys and domestic turkeys have the same genetics, this is the only similarity they have. After that, you can see enough differences between them.

To begin with, these birds, the feather colors of both wild and domestic turkeys are completely different when compared to each other. Wild turkeys seem to have deep, rich brown and black feathers overall, whereas domestic turkeys usually have white feathers, which is an intentional product of their domestication.

Native Americans were the ones who raised these domesticated birds. The domestic turkeys have less diversity in their overall gene pool and fewer variants as compared to wild turkeys and even to other domesticated animal species.

The flight agility of a wild turkey is far more superior when compared to domesticated turkeys and speeds up to 55 mph (88.5 kph).

The domestic turkeys, in comparison, were bred to be large in size and have more meat content which ended up sacrificing their flight agility and speed.

The wild turkey can run at speeds faster when compared to even something like a wild horse, whereas the short legs of domesticated turkeys do not help them with running at speeds like that, they have been bred for generations, and they are much slower on their feet when compared to a wild turkey.

Even in the world of predators, wild turkey birds thrive and continue to survive.

In comparison, domestic turkey birds have lost this ability due to thousands of years of domestication, and now they have become easy prey for animals that can hunt them down.

Wild turkey birds are known for their gobbles, putts, and cackles, and they are quieter for most of their lives when compared to domesticated turkey birds who like to constantly make sounds of clucking; in nature, a wild turkey making sounds like a domestic turkey would not survive for that long because of other predator animals.

You might find some of the domestic turkeys have a close resemblance to their wild counterparts; however domestic turkeys are normally bred to have a white color as they do not have to hide from other animals in the wild.

However, the reason why the feathers of a wild turkey are dark brown and black in color is that they have to camouflage themselves against predators.

Domestic turkey birds have no fear of the humans as they have always been around them, but their wild counterparts, wild turkey birds, are warier than humans, and they keep in stealth mode.

Wild turkeys are the most difficult animals to take down in the wild.

The eyesight of a free wild turkey is much better than the majority species of birds, domestic turkey birds do not have the need to have accurate and sharp eyesight as they do not face the dangers in the wild and even have lost some of it through thousands of years of domestic breeding.

Do wild turkeys fly with feathers?

Turkeys are a mess of a bird. You might think that birds with that huge of a body definitely cannot fly even with the help of their wings, but you’re wrong if you think this.

The flight of wild turkey is not something like a humming bird’s flight, but these birds can indeed fly above the ground. Wild turkeys are surprisingly well-adapted for having short-distance, and explosive flights, and this flight is mainly done to escape their predators.

Those short legs of a wild turkey come in handy when it decides to fly. Just before the process of taking off, the turkey bird will squat slightly and explode towards the upward direction from its legs.

After these birds are airborne, their wings do the job for them. It is the breast muscles of a turkey that provide its wings with rapid energy.

A wild turkey would not fly for more than 100 yd (91.4 m) as that distance is enough to get itself to safety against other predators in the wild. They can fly these short distances at a speed of around 55 mph (88.5 kph), and they are fast.

Feathers of turkeys help them with their flight, but they also serve other purposes in their life. Turkey birds are known to spurt up their feathers as it is an instinctive and intimidating behavior against their predators and hunters.

Generally, strutting is associated with the mating season, but it can have meanings like these as well.

When it comes to mating, a male turkey would fan the feathers of its tail, drag its wings and puff up the rest of its feathers while circling around, showing its beautiful feathers.

It is usually the time of spring when turkeys begin to mate and lay their eggs, and this act by male turkey birds is considered as a kind of a mating dance to attract female turkeys to them.

The color of their eggs is usually cream.

Female turkeys, however, do not puff up their feathers as they do not perform these kinds of mating dances. According to Turkey Federation, a turkey fan can have up to 18 tail feathers which can measure 12-15 in (30.5-38.1 cm) in their length. Turkey feathers in the wild open provide them protection against harsh climate as well.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how many feathers does a turkey have then why not take a look at how many legs does a millipede have or turkey facts?