The wild turkey has longer legs and neck, a more slender body, smaller head, and darker plumage than does
the domestic turkey. Tips of wild turkey tail feathers are light brown, while those of the domestic turkey are
white. Male wild turkeys (gobblers) differ from females (hens) by having longer legs and neck, a larger foot,
and larger bodies. Males have a bronzy, iridescent body plumage with black-tipped breast feathers, and hens
have light-brown breast feather tips. The gobbler typically has a tuft of modified feathers called a "beard"
protruding from its breast, along with an upwardly curving spur on the lower legs (see photo at right).
Occasionally the beard or spurs do not develop on a gobbler. A few hens will also develop beards although they
are typically much thinner and shorter than gobbler beards. The head and neck of the adult gobbler are typically
whiter than a hen's, due to less head feathering. During the spring mating season, the head of the sexually
aroused adult gobbler takes on a combination of red, white, and blue colors in varying degrees.
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