{"id":84213,"date":"2023-01-18T11:59:47","date_gmt":"2023-01-18T11:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/"},"modified":"2023-01-19T06:03:57","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T06:03:57","slug":"do-white-turkeys-have-beards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/","title":{"rendered":"Do white turkeys have beards?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#Do_white_turkeys_have_beards\" title=\"Do white turkeys have beards?\">Do white turkeys have beards?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#Do_female_white_turkeys_have_beards\" title=\"Do female white turkeys have beards?\">Do female white turkeys have beards?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_the_beard_of_a_turkey_called\" title=\"What is the beard of a turkey called?\">What is the beard of a turkey called?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_color_is_the_beard_of_a_turkey\" title=\"What color is the beard of a turkey?\">What color is the beard of a turkey?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#Can_a_female_turkey_have_a_beards\" title=\"Can a female turkey have a beards?\">Can a female turkey have a beards?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#Do_turkeys_have_beards\" title=\"Do turkeys have beards?\">Do turkeys have beards?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#How_do_you_tell_the_difference_between_a_male_and_female_white_turkey\" title=\"How do you tell the difference between a male and female white turkey?\">How do you tell the difference between a male and female white turkey?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#Why_would_a_female_turkey_have_a_beard\" title=\"Why would a female turkey have a beard?\">Why would a female turkey have a beard?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#Why_does_my_female_turkey_have_a_beard\" title=\"Why does my female turkey have a beard?\">Why does my female turkey have a beard?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_the_beard_of_a_turkey\" title=\"What is the beard of a turkey?\">What is the beard of a turkey?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_the_hair_on_a_turkey_called\" title=\"What is the hair on a turkey called?\">What is the hair on a turkey called?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_the_thing_on_a_turkeys_face_called\" title=\"What is the thing on a turkey&#8217;s face called?\">What is the thing on a turkey&#8217;s face called?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_the_tuft_of_hair_on_a_turkey\" title=\"What is the tuft of hair on a turkey?\">What is the tuft of hair on a turkey?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_the_beard_on_a_turkey\" title=\"What is the beard on a turkey?\">What is the beard on a turkey?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_color_is_a_turkey_face\" title=\"What color is a turkey face?\">What color is a turkey face?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_a_turkey_beard_look_like\" title=\"What is a turkey beard look like?\">What is a turkey beard look like?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_color_is_a_turkey_beak\" title=\"What color is a turkey beak?\">What color is a turkey beak?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#Can_a_white_female_turkey_have_a_beard\" title=\"Can a white female turkey have a beard?\">Can a white female turkey have a beard?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#How_can_you_tell_a_male_turkey_from_a_female_turkey\" title=\"How can you tell a male turkey from a female turkey?\">How can you tell a male turkey from a female turkey?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#How_rare_is_a_hen_turkey_with_a_beard\" title=\"How rare is a hen turkey with a beard?\">How rare is a hen turkey with a beard?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_the_beard_on_a_turkey_for\" title=\"What is the beard on a turkey for?\">What is the beard on a turkey for?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#What_is_the_beard_on_a_turkey_called\" title=\"What is the beard on a turkey called?\">What is the beard on a turkey called?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-white-turkeys-have-beards\/#How_many_beards_can_a_turkey_have\" title=\"How many beards can a turkey have?\">How many beards can a turkey have?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_white_turkeys_have_beards\"><\/span>Do white turkeys have beards?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A distinguishing feature of both domesticated and wild turkeys is the black fibrous hairs that hang down from the chest away from the body plumage. Biologists and hunters call those hairs beards. A turkey&#8217;s beard can be long enough to touch the ground. <b>Beards grow on all male turkeys or gobblers and grow on some hens.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_female_white_turkeys_have_beards\"><\/span>Do female white turkeys have beards?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Female Domestic Turkeys Hens also have slimmer heads than males. <b>A few female turkeys do grow beards but they&#8217;re usually a lot shorter than the males. If they grow spurs, these also will be smaller and less visible than those of tom turkeys. Female domestic turkeys will display strutting and feather fanning behaviors.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-big-do-broad-breasted-white-turkeys-get\/\">How big do Broad Breasted White turkeys get?<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_beard_of_a_turkey_called\"><\/span>What is the beard of a turkey called?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This fleshy, bumpy skin has a name: <b>the wattle. It&#8217;s different from the long piece of flesh that grows down from the bird&#8217;s forehead, which is called a snood, according to PBS.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_color_is_the_beard_of_a_turkey\"><\/span>What color is the beard of a turkey?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-198428 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/What-color-is-the-beard-of-a-turkey.png\" alt=\"What color is the beard of a turkey?\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/What-color-is-the-beard-of-a-turkey.png 1024w, https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/What-color-is-the-beard-of-a-turkey-300x198.png 300w, https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/What-color-is-the-beard-of-a-turkey-768x508.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A beard gets its black color from melanin, a pigment that colors and strengthens feathers. The newly emerging beards of young turkeys contain little melanin, so the bristles are <b>amber-colored. Even when a gobbler is 2, his beard will retain those original amber tips because they haven&#8217;t broken off yet.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_a_female_turkey_have_a_beards\"><\/span>Can a female turkey have a beards?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Turkey Beards Male turkeys, called gobblers and <b>some female turkeys, called hens have beards. Only about 10 to 20 percent of hens grow beards, and it&#8217;s likely a genetic mutation, according to Sciencing.com.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_turkeys_have_beards\"><\/span>Do turkeys have beards?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A Wild Turkey&#8217;s beard is the tuft that looks a bit like a miniature horsetail dangling from its breast. <b>Year-old males have beards up to about five inches long, while toms three or more years old can have beards that are 10 inches or longer.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_you_tell_the_difference_between_a_male_and_female_white_turkey\"><\/span>How do you tell the difference between a male and female white turkey?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The easiest way to determine the turkey&#8217;s sex is by <b>examining the feathers on the breast and sides of the turkey. On males, these feathers have black tips. The feather tips are brown on females.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_would_a_female_turkey_have_a_beard\"><\/span>Why would a female turkey have a beard?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Like the fleshy head appendages, turkey beards are <b>believed to be an aesthetic feature intended to attract mates; beards become more erect when a tom is aroused. The longer the beard, the older the turkey they can eventually grow to about 12 inches in length.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_does_my_female_turkey_have_a_beard\"><\/span>Why does my female turkey have a beard?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Like the fleshy head appendages, turkey beards are <b>believed to be an aesthetic feature intended to attract mates; beards become more erect when a tom is aroused. The longer the beard, the older the turkey they can eventually grow to about 12 inches in length.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_beard_of_a_turkey\"><\/span>What is the beard of a turkey?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Turkey Beards If you&#8217;ve seen a male wild turkey, you likely noticed a shock of <b>long, dark, fibrous bristles hanging from its breast plumage. That&#8217;s called a beard, and it&#8217;s made of modified feathers. Male turkeys, called gobblers and some female turkeys, called hens have beards.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_hair_on_a_turkey_called\"><\/span>What is the hair on a turkey called?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>beards<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_thing_on_a_turkeys_face_called\"><\/span>What is the thing on a turkey&#8217;s face called?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>wattle<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pPsVh4KWstM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_tuft_of_hair_on_a_turkey\"><\/span>What is the tuft of hair on a turkey?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>beard<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_beard_on_a_turkey\"><\/span>What is the beard on a turkey?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As male turkeys mature, they developed <b>a clump of slender, fibrous feathers in the center of their breast, which is referred to as a beard or a tassel. A turkey&#8217;s beard resembles a horse&#8217;s tail, except it&#8217;s shorter and on the front of the body.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_color_is_a_turkey_face\"><\/span>What color is a turkey face?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A turkey&#8217;s head is normally <b>bright red, a color caused by visible blood vessels lying directly under the skin of the wattle.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_turkey_beard_look_like\"><\/span>What is a turkey beard look like?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A Wild Turkey&#8217;s beard is <b>the tuft that looks a bit like a miniature horsetail dangling from its breast. Year-old males have beards up to about five inches long, while toms three or more years old can have beards that are 10 inches or longer.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_color_is_a_turkey_beak\"><\/span>What color is a turkey beak?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The American turkey has a beak that is <b>primarily yellow, although parts of the beak can be brown or black in color. In addition to the beak, turkeys<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_a_white_female_turkey_have_a_beard\"><\/span>Can a white female turkey have a beard?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Most turkey hens do not have beards. About 10 percent to 20 percent do have them, but they are much smaller than gobbler&#8217;s. Less than 10 percent of hens have a single small spur. Bearded hens can reproduce and raise offspring.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_you_tell_a_male_turkey_from_a_female_turkey\"><\/span>How can you tell a male turkey from a female turkey?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The easiest way to determine the turkey&#8217;s sex is by examining the feathers on the breast and sides of the turkey. <b>On males, these feathers have black tips.<\/b><b>The feather tips are brown on females<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_rare_is_a_hen_turkey_with_a_beard\"><\/span>How rare is a hen turkey with a beard?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The average incidence rate of hen turkeys with beards <b>10%. Hens with beards occur in all five subspecies of wild turkey. Bearded hens tend to be more common in the Merriam&#8217;s subspecies (19%) and quite rare among Osceola hens (less than 1%).<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_beard_on_a_turkey_for\"><\/span>What is the beard on a turkey for?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>attract mates<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_beard_on_a_turkey_called\"><\/span>What is the beard on a turkey called?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-198430 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/What-is-the-beard-on-a-turkey-called.png\" alt=\"What is the beard on a turkey called?\" width=\"870\" height=\"603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/What-is-the-beard-on-a-turkey-called.png 870w, https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/What-is-the-beard-on-a-turkey-called-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/What-is-the-beard-on-a-turkey-called-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This fleshy, bumpy skin has a name: <b>the wattle. It&#8217;s different from the long piece of flesh that grows down from the bird&#8217;s forehead, which is called a snood, according to PBS.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_many_beards_can_a_turkey_have\"><\/span>How many beards can a turkey have?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Female Domestic Turkeys Hens also have slimmer heads than males. <b>A few female turkeys do grow beards but they&#8217;re usually a lot shorter than the males. If they grow spurs, these also will be smaller and less visible than those of tom turkeys. Female domestic turkeys will display strutting and feather fanning behaviors.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Do white turkeys have beards?Do female white turkeys have beards?What is the beard of a turkey called?What color is the beard of a turkey?Can a female turkey have a beards?Do turkeys have beards?How do you tell the difference between a male and female white turkey?Why would a female turkey have a beard?Why&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":198427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Do-white-turkeys-have-beards.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84213"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84213"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198431,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84213\/revisions\/198431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}