A Dude With A Snood and
A chick with a wattle.
No, I haven’t gone completely off the rocker – please bear with me. You’ll soon find out what the heck I’m talking about.
For the first few winters after I moved to a tiny village in northern New Mexico there was a flock of thirty or more wild turkeys foraging close by every morning. They came down from the tree-covered mountains on the other side of the meadow below my house. But no, I didn’t hear any gobble-gobbles. That’s the sound a male turkey (tom) makes when he wants to attract a female (hen) for mating. This happens in the spring; during the winter months hens and toms live in separate flocks. I believe my visitors were all girls.
Because of my dogs, I don’t see the turkeys any more. Not that they were seriously chasing the turkeys – they just wanted to play. But I can’t be sure and neither could the turkeys, and they didn’t take any chances. I do miss them.
Alright, and now it’s time to explain what a snood is, and a wattle, and a caruncle…
All these are anatomical structures found on a turkey’s head!
1. A caruncle is a bump of flesh that covers a bird's neck and head. They can have bright colors, and males use them to attract females: having large caruncles in bold reds, blues, or yellows indicates that the tom is in excellent health and has good genes; irresistible to a hen!
2. While both sexes have caruncles, only toms have a snood (actually, a kind of caruncle). It grows from the forehead and covers the beak; its size changes considerably when a male wants to attract a female: during courtship, it becomes engorged with blood, bright red, and several inches longer.
3. Both males and females have a wattle: a skin flap that reaches from the beak to the neck. It changes color depending on the mood and level of excitement of the bird; toms have much stronger colors that turn red when ready to fight, and blue when aroused.
4. Major caruncle: Besides playing a role in courtship, caruncles also serve to keep the birds cool in hot weather. Birds don’t have sweat glands, and their blood cools faster when it’s flowing through the caruncles.
5. Finally, there is the beard: a tuft of bristle-like feathers protruding from the breast of a male turkey, just below his chest. By the time a tom is three years old, the beard can be nine to ten inches long.
Did you know that wild turkeys can fly, and quite fast at that? They can reach a speed of 55 mph, although for short distances only. And they sleep in trees! They can’t see well at night (although their daytime vision is excellent, three times better than that of humans), so they protect themselves from predators by flying up into trees at dusk. Because their babies (poults) are unable to fly for the first couple of weeks of their lives, the mother stays with them at ground level to keep them safe and warm until they are strong enough to all roost up in the safety of the trees.
Turkeys are quite intelligent; for example, they can remember the details of an area of about 1000 acres, so they always know exactly where they are. I can’t claim to be anywhere as efficient: when I hike up to the mesa opposite from my house I still can get lost. There are several deep arroyos, and if I take a wrong turn somewhere I’ll have to go back because I can’t cross. And that’s after living here for over ten years!
The first farmed turkey I met lived at Harmony Farm, an organic farm in Abiquiu, New Mexico. She could walk around freely all day among the chickens and roosters, and at night they were all securely kept in a fenced-in hen house to protect them from coyotes who can be heard everywhere here and who are always on the look-out for a tasty meal. The couple who operated the farm were vegetarians, so I’m sure this turkey hen reached the ripe age of about three years which is average, although some are known to have lived up to 15 years.
I hope you’ll feel some sympathy for these interesting, warm and friendly birds who feel joy, pain, and love, just as we humans do. They deserve our respect and care. Instead, factory-farmed turkeys spend their short lives in pain, misery, and fear. As a subscriber to this newsletter you’re probably aware of the abject cruelty these poor animals have to endure, and I won’t stress you out with gruesome facts. But I will share just a few numbers.
About 46 million turkeys will be killed and eaten for Thanksgiving. That's around as many turkeys as the entire population of Spain. This year, the number MAY be down slightly because they’re harder to find and are significantly more expensive than last year. This is partly due to inflation, but the main reason is the avian flu outbreak earlier this year. Because this is so highly infectious, when even ONE bird is detected in a commercial or backyard flock ALL animals will be killed, which means that some 5.4 million turkeys died miserably between January and July in the US, according to the Department of Agriculture1. Their bodies have to be destroyed due to the pathogens.
There is a much better way to enjoy turkeys for Thanksgiving: you can (symbolically) adopt a turkey at Farm Sanctuary. You’re probably familiar with this amazing organization which was founded in 1986 and which offers a refuge for countless survivors of the animal agriculture system. In two locations, one near Los Angeles and the other one in Upstate New York, over 800 rescued animals can spend the rest of their lives receiving professional care and lots of love.
“ADOPT A TURKEY, DON'T EAT ONE!” is their motto, and even if you don’t want or can’t adopt a bird, just take a look at these lovely animals and enjoy the fact that they lead a happy, peaceful life.
Interesting! Had no idea that people could adopt a Turkey! So novel, yet humane. It’s crazy that there has be mass killing of a species to thank something every year. Makes no sense.
Great info. I've been turning down heaps of Thanksgiving turkey for years. Confirmation of my rebel nature. Have a great day of gratitude!