Gobble gobble! It’s that time of year again when we gather with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving and the star of the show is often a delicious turkey. But have you ever stopped to wonder about the difference between a hen turkey and a tom turkey?
While both are the same species (Meleagris gallopavo), there are some key distinctions between the two. Let’s dive into the fascinating world of turkeys and unravel the mysteries of their gender differences
Size and Appearance:
The most noticeable difference between a hen and a tom turkey is their size. Toms are significantly larger, weighing up to 25 pounds compared to a hen’s 10-18 pounds. This size difference is due to the tom’s role as the dominant bird in the flock. He needs to be strong and capable of protecting his territory and females.
Appearance-wise, toms are also more flamboyant. They sport a distinctive wattle (the fleshy flap under their beak), a snood (the fleshy growth on their forehead), and iridescent feathers with metallic sheens. Hens, on the other hand, are more subdued in color, with duller feathers and smaller wattles and snoods.
Behavior:
Toms are known for their loud gobbling calls, which they use to attract mates and defend their territory. They also engage in elaborate courtship displays, puffing up their feathers and strutting around to impress the hens. Hens are quieter and less showy, focusing on nesting and raising their young.
Reproduction:
Hens lay a clutch of 8-15 eggs, which they incubate for 28 days. Once the chicks hatch, the hen fiercely protects them and teaches them how to survive. Toms play no role in raising the young.
Culinary Uses:
Both hens and toms are used for meat, but the type of meat differs slightly. Hen meat is typically more tender and flavorful, while tom meat can be tougher and have a stronger flavor. In general, hens are preferred for roasting, while toms are often used for ground turkey or other processed products.
So, the next time you see a turkey, take a closer look and see if you can identify whether it’s a hen or a tom. You might be surprised at how much you can learn about these fascinating birds just by observing their appearance and behavior.
Additional Fun Facts:
- The word “turkey” comes from the guinea fowl, which was originally called a “turkey cock” because it was imported to Europe through Turkey.
- Turkeys can fly short distances, but they prefer to walk or run.
- The wild turkey is the national bird of the United States.
- Benjamin Franklin actually wanted the wild turkey to be the national bird instead of the bald eagle.
Now that you know the difference between a hen and a tom turkey, you can impress your friends and family with your newfound knowledge. Gobble, gobble!
Turkey Basics-Gobblers and Hens
Let’s begin with the basics of distinguishing male wild turkeys (gobblers) from females (hens).
Gobblers are larger-bodied birds, with a darker coloration, at times appearing almost black. In bright sunlight, their feathers cast a brilliant bronze or metallic iridescence. Gobblers have a red, featherless head that can occasionally be colored blue and white. They also have noticeable wattles and red, fleshy growths on their necks called caruncles. They also have a “beard”—a tuft of black, hair-like strands—protruding from their chest.
The beard on mature gobblers, also known as toms, can grow to be 7-9 inches long or longer, but on juvenile gobblers, also known as jakes, the beard is Typically, gobblers hang out away from hens during the summer since they take no part in raising young.
Hens are more brown in coloration and smaller in size than gobblers. Their heads have a more blue-gray appearance, and the feathers frequently extend up the back of the head.
Occasionally hens will have a beard, but it is thinner than on gobblers and is quite often kinked. Hens can also have some feather iridescence, but not to the same extent as gobblers.
How many gobblers and hens do you see in this picture?
Two of the gobblers were jakes; observe the larger size, less feathered red heads, and tiny stubble of a beard sticking out of the right jake’s chest. Four of the hens were hens; one was mostly concealed behind a jake, but the typical hen turkey’s head was still clearly visible. One unknown Given what we can see in this photo, it’s best to just call this partially obstructed bird an unknown. If we were here in person, the birds would move around and we could probably determine that the unknown is another jake.
Because they have to grow quickly to avoid being eaten, pouts experience rapid changes in body size, appearance, and feather types as they get older. Based on these characteristics, we can estimate the age of poults. For simplicity, we divide poults into three age classes.
1 week old or younger. Puppies that are no older than a week or so are tiny and still covered in downy feathers. They look like little puff balls about the size of your fist.
Turkey Poult Class 1
2-5 weeks old. Although the wing feathers on this class of poults have grown longer, they still have downy feathers covering most of their bodies and no long tail feathers. They are about 6-10 inches tall, similar in size to a Blue Jay. They appear to be entirely wingless, which is advantageous since it allows them to fly into low trees to avoid being eaten by ground predators. The older chicks in this age group will still have short tail feathers but will have begun to grow some juvenile plumage on their bodies.
Hen with class 2 age group poults
Hen with older class 2 age-group poult (borderline class 3)
Hen with class 2 age group poults
6-8 weeks or older. Early in this stage, the neck and head of the poults still have some down feathers, but the rest of their body is covered in juvenile-type contour feathers. They are about 10 to 12 inches tall, about the size of a crow or chicken, and they are starting to show off their tail feathers and black-and-white barred wing feathers. By the time they are 8 weeks old, poults have mixed juvenile and adult feathers on their bodies and are starting to grow new, “adult”-looking body feathers. They are currently about half the size of the hen and will grow until the end of the summer to nearly equal the hen’s size. Turkey Poults.
Late in the summer, because they are so similar in size, it can be very difficult to distinguish between a flock of hens without poults and a hen and her older age class brood. If you’re unsure, it’s best to mark them as unknowns.
Best Wild Turkey Hen Calling and Yelping 2
FAQ
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