On rare occasions if the first nest of eggs fails, the female will lay another. Females have shorter, narrower wattles than males. Why don't female turkeys have a wattle? Related Questions. Young turkeys leave the nest within 24 hours to forage for food with their mothers. Courting males puff themselves into feathery balls and fill the air with exuberant gobbling. Beards grow on … A turkey's beard can be long enough to touch the ground. Courting males puff themselves into feathery balls and fill the air with exuberant gobbling. Pigs, goats, chickens, and turkeys are all capable of growing wattles. Why do turkeys have wattles? These big, spectacular birds are an increasingly common sight the rest of the year, too, as flocks stride around woods and clearings like miniature dinosaurs. All turkeys, male and female, have caruncles. Wattles are generally paired structures but may occur as a single structure when it is sometimes known as a dewlap.Wattles are frequently organs of sexual dimorphism. Just hatched wild turkeys are precocial, which means they are born with feathers and can fend for themselves quickly. We have two Bourbon Red Turkey hens (or at least we think they are hens). Asked in Chickens and Roosters Why do turkeys have wattles… With pigs and goats, the wattle is covered in hair and has no known biological function. The female, significantly smaller than the male, weighs 5 to 12 pounds and is only 30 to 37 inches long. Snoods are extremely easy to see right above male turkeys' beaks. Although female turkeys do indeed possess wattles, they're easy to miss. The turkey isn’t just a big and strange-looking chicken: it is a singular entity of its own. The only purpose of a wattle is decoration. Why have a wattle? In male turkeys it is a sign of high testosterone, which attracts female turkeys. The male parent turkeys have very little to do with raising chicks. What are They For? The scientific name for the wild and modern domesticated turkey is Meleagris gallopavo.The common names used for the number or type of turkey changes depending on the age or sex of the animal. This also is the case with several other turkey physical features, namely both snoods and caruncles. Please note: The photos and images on this page have come from clipart CD's which allow use on the internet (educational) and in school projects or they have been contributed by viewers.The information has come from my research. Wild turkeys were first domesticated in Mexico and then exported to Europe. Their top speed in flight is 55 miles per hour. Wild turkeys have very powerful legs and can run at speeds up to 25 miles per hour. What do you call a turkey? Both male and female chickens have fleshy growths at the tops of their heads called combs. Wattles have other roles to play. Their wattles, snoods, caruncles and spurs are small. These are the fleshy bumps on their necks and heads. Most North American kids learn turkey identification early, by tracing outlines of their hands to make Thanksgiving cards. Wild turkeys have a social structure and pecking order and habituated turkeys may respond to humans and animals as they do to another turkey. Scientists suggest that blood is circulated between the comb and wattles to help keep the chicken… Wild turkeys are polygamous birds, which means they do not have the same mate for life.The male turkey will mate with many females within a season but it is unlikely that a female will mate with more than one male. Courting males puff themselves into feathery balls and fill the air with exuberant gobbling. However, production has increased substantially as Canadian turkey exports have grown by 30 per cent since 2001. Wattles are an adaptive feature that come in handy in several ways. Females are also smaller, have fewer feathers, and don’t have to do all that work of strutting and fighting that males do. [Kidzone Animal Facts] The American Turkey. Another turkey, the ocellated turkey, is a completely separate species and looks quite different from more familiar wild turkeys, with bolder, brighter colors and different wattles.