The turkey is instantly recognizable by its large size and the striking, unfeathered skin covering its head and neck. These bare patches often display intense colors, ranging from white and blue to vibrant red. This colorful, fleshy skin is composed of several unique anatomical features, and understanding the specific names for these appendages provides clarity on the bird’s unique biology and behavior.
The Snood and Wattle
The two most prominent and easily confused red parts are the snood and the wattle, each occupying a distinct location on the turkey’s head. The snood is a fleshy, highly elastic appendage that originates from the forehead, sitting just above the beak. In a relaxed state, the snood can be pale and relatively short, but when the male turkey, or tom, becomes excited, the snood rapidly engorges with blood, becoming bright red and elongating significantly.
This lengthening can extend the snood several centimeters, sometimes hanging well past the tip of the beak. The wattle, by contrast, is a flap of vascularized skin that hangs down from the turkey’s throat or chin. Both male and female turkeys possess these structures, but they are dramatically more pronounced and colorful in the males.
The color of both the snood and wattle is highly dynamic, acting almost like a mood indicator. When a turkey is calm or ill, the appendages may appear pale, white, or even bluish, as blood flow is restricted. However, when excited, such as during courtship displays or a confrontation, a rush of blood makes these tissues swell and turn a brilliant red or sometimes a combination of red, white, and blue.
Defining Caruncles
The overall bumpy, textured appearance of the turkey’s unfeathered head and neck is due to the presence of caruncles. Caruncles are small, fleshy protuberances that cover the skin, distinct from the larger snood and wattle. They are particularly concentrated around the base of the neck and on the head.
Like the snood and wattle, caruncles are highly vascularized and change color based on the bird’s emotional state. They often flush a deep red when the turkey is agitated or performing a display.
Although both sexes have caruncles, they are typically larger and more noticeable in the male.
The Biological Role of Turkey Features
The fleshy, unfeathered features of the turkey’s head and neck serve multiple biological functions related to sexual selection and thermoregulation. During the breeding season, the size and vibrant color of the snood, wattle, and caruncles function as visual signals of a male’s fitness and dominance. A bright, large, and deeply colored display suggests high testosterone levels, good health, and a low parasite load, making the male more attractive to potential mates.
Female turkeys often prefer to mate with males exhibiting longer snoods, suggesting that this particular feature is an honest indicator of genetic quality. The rapid color change, or flushing, is a dynamic part of courtship and dominance displays, where a bright scarlet color enhances the visual impact of the male’s strutting behavior. Males will often defer to rivals with relatively longer snoods in intrasexual competition.
Beyond sexual signaling, these bare, highly vascularized areas play a role in helping the turkey manage its body temperature. Turkeys do not sweat, and their dense, dark feathers absorb considerable heat, especially on hot days. The exposed skin of the wattle, snood, and caruncles allows excess heat to dissipate through the surrounding air as blood flows close to the surface. This process of heat exchange helps the bird cool down given their size and feathered insulation.