With his brilliantly colored plumage fanned out in display, a tom (male) Wild Turkey is a handsome sight to behold. He has a bright red head, long spurs, and… a beard. This “beard” is a small cluster of bristles that sprouts from his chest plumage. It looks like a misplaced ponytail. The older the tom, the longer the beard.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Have You Ever Seen a Tom Turkey's Beard?