Wild Turkey Identification: What Color Is a Turkey?

Do you know what color is a turkey? Have you ever asked yourself why turkeys have such bright plumage? Their shiny feathers and changing head colors are great examples of bird camouflage and communication.

In this blog article, let us share with you the great variety of turkeys and look into the significance of these colorings. We will also talk about how all of this can benefit a hunter for proper hunting.

What Color Is a Turkey?

Here’s a breakdown of common turkey colors and key differences between wild turkeys, including how these colors vary by species and gender.

1. Common Colors of a Wild Turkey

• Feathers: Wild turkeys’ feathers are generally dark with iridescent shades of brown, bronze, green, and gold, which help them blend into their forested habitat. Males have more vivid colors during mating season, whereas females retain more subdued tones year-round.

• Feet: Typically light pink, gray, or tan in color.

• Head: The males’ head color changes dramatically during mating season, where it can appear bright red, blue, or white depending on their emotions (aggression, excitement, or courtship). For females, the head is usually pale, blue, or grayish and does not change as dramatically as males.

• Wings: Brown and dark-colored with lighter or white tips, especially in Merriam’s turkeys.

2. Colors of Different Turkey Species

Some common wild turkey species found are the Eastern Wild Turkey and the Merriam’s Wild Turkey. They show different colors that hunters need to know in the field.

Eastern Wild Turkey

• Feathers: The feathers are crowded, brown with a reflector sheen of bronze, green as well as copper color present at some point. The tail feathers are black with lines of other lighter hues.
• Feet: Pale pinkish to grayish.
• Head: The head of an Eastern wild turkey is usually bright red, blue, or white, depending on the mood and age of the turkey. In this particular sexual avant-garde, the head is painted with more intensity.
• Wings: The wings are brown and have a brown shade at the terminal part of the feathers; sometimes they take a light or white hue at the feather tips.

Merriam’s Wild Turkey

• Feathers: Merriam’s turkeys have feathers with a white tip at the end, making them appear lighter than the Eastern turkeys. Their underparts are mostly rich brown or reddish.
• Feet: Like the eastern turkey, Merriam’s have white feathers all over their body and light-colored feet.
• Head: The head is darker than in the red phase of Merriam’s turkeys, but with the occasional slight hint of red in the wattle.
• Wings: Merriam is a little more lightweight and has brown feathers with edges colored white.

3. Colors of Tom and Hen

There are also noticeable color differences between male (tom) and female (hen) wild turkeys:

• Male (Tom): Males are brighter and more attractive with stunning flashy colors of reds, greens, coppers, and blues of iridescent. It takes approximately two months to a year for a male to have a bright red or blue wattle and head during the mating period.
• Female (Hen): They believed that females were neotropical, drabber in color, usually brown or grayish, because some of them nest on trees. They are not as bright-headed and neither possesses the bright wattle coloration that males do.

What Does the Color of a Turkey’s Head Mean?

The color of a turkey’s head can change due to various emotional states, environmental factors, and social interactions.

Wild turkeys, especially males, have bare skin on their heads that can shift in color depending on blood flow and the turkey’s behavior.

Here’s what the colors typically indicate:

1. Red: Often seen when turkeys are excited, agitated, or aggressive. It can also appear when a turkey is displaying dominance or ready to fight, especially during mating seasons when males compete for females.
2. Blue: Indicates calmness or relaxation. It is often seen when turkeys are calm, or when males are courting hens. It can also be a sign of contentment or peaceful social interactions.
3. White: Can indicate stress, fear, or agitation. It may also appear when a turkey is overly excited or in a heightened state of alert.

During mating dances, the head of the turkey transforms from a normal color to red when the turkey is annoyed or excited.

Male turkeys, and especially those of the bronze variety, show off bright red where they are courting a female or where they are challenging other males.

The head of a turkey turns blue when it is still or when it is at rest. There is usually blueness on the head, especially when the bird is feeding or is just relaxed.

Usually, a male turkey or when a turkey feels threatened or scared, the head of a turkey is observed to be white.

Female turkeys or turkeys resting will display weather or grayish head coloration because there is reduced circulation or stimulation.

When the turkey is in a state of stress or fear, or when it feels threatened, the head part may turn dark to red in this case.

How To Identify Turkey Colors For Hunters?

For hunters, learning to identify turkeys is important before hunting. Here are some identification tips and considerations related to turkey colors for hunters.

1. What does the color of turkey mean to hunters?

Many states have laws on what types of turkey hunters can harvest during the hunting seasons. The color is also a concern for a turkey’s physical appearance. This is because it helps hunters spot the bird, and also helps them tell if it is a legal mature tom.

The pigments can reveal the bird’s age, as well as whether it is male or female, or sexually active. The male birds, commonly known as toms, are usually brighter, especially during the breeding season, and may display shades of green, red, and blue.

Female turkeys (hens) are normally less colorful but will have lots of browns and grays to blend into the woods.

These colors may be used to identify whether the turkey is a suitable target to hunt, particularly when hunting seasons have a particular restriction on gender or age. Learn more about how to tell the age of a turkey.

2. How to tell a turkey’s mood from their color?

A turkey’s color can give hunters a clue about its mood:

• Aggressive or territorial mood: Bright, vivid colors seen in male turkeys may be more so during the mating season to act as symbols of aggression or dominance. This most often occurs when they crest or subsidize the feathers on the neck and then expand their multi-hued throat (wattle), and head.
• Calm or submissive mood: When the turkeys are calm or submissive, they may even have less bright colors. Another important feature is that a bird may not have bright displays if it is relaxed.
• Stress or alarm: In a threatening situation, a turkey will change its skin color, and it will appear grey or even blue-headed.

3. Hunting considerations related to turkey’s colors

Several factors related to turkey coloration should be taken into account when hunting.

• Visibility to predators and hunters: As for sex, and selective predation, male birds with brighter and thereby colored plumage are easier to spot for hunters but also for predators. A turkey’s color is Batesian on vegetation, which means that the turkey blends in well with the vegetation; hunters must know the area and whether the turkey has blended well into the vegetation area.
• Seasonal changes in turkey colors: In the reproductive season, males become even more vivid and showier to attract females and defeat rivals. These colors may only lose slightly of their luster during other seasons. Hunters should therefore bear these changes in mind because increased brightness during breeding seasons causes turkeys to become more conspicuous.
• Camouflage and safety considerations: Hunters should not wear bright colors or reflectors on their bodies. It is better dress in natural colors, such as brown, green, or black. Do not go out wearing clothes with bright red, white, or blue colors because they will look like a turkey’s head or body.

How Should Hunters Dress Up When Hunting Turkey?

Camouflage Clothing 

Choose camouflage patterns that match the natural environment, like woodland or forest patterns. This helps blend in with the background and avoids being seen by turkeys or other hunters.

Avoid Bright Colors

Hunters should refrain from wearing colors that could be confused with a turkey’s head or body, such as red, white, or blue. These are common colors found in a turkey’s features during mating season.

Hats And Face Masks

 A camouflage hat and face mask are essential for concealing your head and face, which are the most identifiable parts of the body. Many hunters opt for a full head covering to prevent being spotted.

Conclusion

The vibrant colors of a turkey play a crucial role in their survival and communication. From their iridescent feathers to the shifting shades on their heads, these colors help turkeys blend in and also signal other birds.

For hunters, understanding the significance of a turkey’s coloration can enhance the ability to identify and track these fascinating birds, thus increasing the success rate.

For a complete walkthrough of turkey seasons, gear, hunting strategies, and field dressing, read our Complete Turkey Hunting Guide.