The fleshy mass that hangs over the beak is called a “snood.” Sometimes it hangs so low that it looks like it comes from between the turkeys eyes. It can change colors and size. Both male and female turkeys have snoods, but the male turkey, called a tom, will have a much larger snood.
Scientists dont know what the snood is used for, according to the National Turkey Wildlife Foundation. However, it appears to play a role in sexual attraction. Richard Buchholz at the Department of Biology in the University of Mississippi has studied wild turkey mating habits. He notes that wild turkey females or hens will tend to select wild toms with the longest snoods.
Tom turkeys with long snoods may be healthier and more desirable to turkey hens. Buchholz noted that those wild toms with longer snoods had a lower parasite burden than those with shorter snoods. In particular, toms had longer snoods when they had less or no intestinal coccidia. It appears that hens were selecting coccidia-resistant toms to mate with, thus passing those genes along to their offspring.
Snoods do help show the turkeys emotional state and health to a certain degree. A sick turkey will have a very pale snood. A turkey ready to mate, aggressive or excited will have a bright red snood. Fearful and relaxed turkeys will have blue snoods.
Along with the snood are fleshy bumps on the turkeys head neck known as caruncles. Both toms and hens have caruncles, although the caruncles are more pronounced on toms. They will turn the same color as the snood.
This fleshy, bumpy skin has a name: the wattle. It’s different from the long piece of flesh that grows down from the bird’s forehead, which is called a “snood,” according to PBS(Opens in a new window). Snoods can be short, sticking up like a horn, or long, extending past the nose.
A pale snood and a pale wattle can be a sign that the turkey is suffering from anemia or another illness.
The wattle is vital to the turkey. Birds have no sweat glands, so they rely on other methods to keep them cool.
They may look ugly to us, but all that stuff around a male turkey’s head can actually attract a female turkey.
The heat of a turkey dissipates through the skin of the wattle; that’s how they sweat.
A nice, long snood on a tom tells the hen, “that’s a good mate.” The longer the snood, the better the genes.
Scientists dont know what the snood is used for, according to the National Turkey Wildlife Foundation. However, it appears to play a role in sexual attraction. Richard Buchholz at the Department of Biology in the University of Mississippi has studied wild turkey mating habits. He notes that wild turkey females or hens will tend to select wild toms with the longest snoods.
Along with the snood are fleshy bumps on the turkeys head neck known as caruncles. Both toms and hens have caruncles, although the caruncles are more pronounced on toms. They will turn the same color as the snood.
The fleshy mass that hangs over the beak is called a “snood.” Sometimes it hangs so low that it looks like it comes from between the turkeys eyes. It can change colors and size. Both male and female turkeys have snoods, but the male turkey, called a tom, will have a much larger snood.
Tom turkeys with long snoods may be healthier and more desirable to turkey hens. Buchholz noted that those wild toms with longer snoods had a lower parasite burden than those with shorter snoods. In particular, toms had longer snoods when they had less or no intestinal coccidia. It appears that hens were selecting coccidia-resistant toms to mate with, thus passing those genes along to their offspring.
Snoods do help show the turkeys emotional state and health to a certain degree. A sick turkey will have a very pale snood. A turkey ready to mate, aggressive or excited will have a bright red snood. Fearful and relaxed turkeys will have blue snoods.
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FAQ
What is the hanging thing on a turkey?
What is the dangling skin on a turkey?
Why do turkeys have dangly bits?
Why do turkeys have wattles and snoods?
The fleshy bumps on the turkey’s head and neck are called caruncles. Both male and female wild turkeys have both wattles and snoods, but they are much more prominent and noticeable in males, called toms. This is helpful during mating season, when extra blood rushes to the wattle, giving it a bright scarlet color.
What does a Turkey snood look like?
This fleshy, bumpy skin has a name: the wattle. It’s different from the long piece of flesh that grows down from the bird’s forehead, which is called a “snood,” according to PBS. Snoods can be short, sticking up like a horn, or long, extending past the nose. The fleshy bumps on the turkey’s head and neck are called caruncles.
Why does my Turkey snood a lot?
Just as blood rushing to the wattle can indicate arousal, blood rushing away from the wattle can indicate the opposite. If a turkey spots a predator nearby, fear can cause blood to drain from the wattle, which temporarily turns blue. A pale snood and/or wattle can also be a sign that the turkey is suffering from anemia or another illness.
What’s that thing that hangs off a turkey’s face?
What’s That Thing That Hangs Off a Turkey’s Face? That thing is called a snood. And it’s there to let the other turkeys know that its owner is kind of a big deal. When a male turkey—known as a tom —wants to mate, he faces two hurdles. One is his potential mates, the female turkeys (a.k.a. hens ).