Ask Dr. Tom
Beards of a feather
I like to look at the Snapshots in Turkey Country and see the different color phases of turkeys. On page 28 of the January/February issue, in the snapshot of Vincent Lowry, it appears his turkey's beard is a cinnamon-brown color. Do the beards also come in color phases like the feathers do?
Steve Cooke, Cullman, Ala.
The NWTF's Chief Conservation Officer, James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., wrote about the anatomy of turkey beards in a 1989 issue of Turkey Call magazine.
Dr. Kennamer mentioned that A.W. Schorger, an early wild turkey researcher and author, called the beard a mesofiloplume feather. It's a mouthful, but it means that the bristles of a gobbler's beard have the characteristics of two types of feathers. So a turkey beard is essentially a modified feather.
Since turkeys have all kinds of unique feather variations, it stands to reason that beards will also exhibit color variations from white to various shades of brown, red and black. Feather and beard colors are influenced heavily by genetics. The lighter color also could be due to a nutrient deficiency, starvation, illness or injury. A bird in poor health will often have a light-colored band in its beard, especially after a harsh winter. It's common for the bird to recover, and healthy black beard strands will follow the light-colored band.
Fortunately, beard color does not appear to affect whether a hen will breed with the tom.
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