Spring has sprung here for wild turkey Toms. Chilly mornings have not deterred their ardor, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say their self-centered strutting. But, as far as we’ve seen (and as you can see here), the hens have been quite chilly and show no signs yet of being ready to submit to such blandishments.
Nonetheless, these Toms are performing a significant engineering and chemical feat. They’re flexing a vast, interconnected series of muscles in their skin to erect imbedded body and tail feathers hundreds of times a day They’re also simultaneously contracting blood vessels in their heads to change skin color and lengthen their droopy snoods.
Curiously, while such pornographic poses are not attracting any females yet, they do entice other males to perform competitive displays. It’s a male thing, we suppose:
(Brooklin, Maine)