What Do You Call a Male Turkey?

Turkeys are a popular type of poultry that are raised for their meat. The male turkeys, called toms or gobblers, are often larger than the females and have more distinctive plumage. But have you ever wondered, what exactly is a male turkey called?

The Different Names for Male Turkeys

Male turkeys go by several common names:

• Tom – This name refers to a male turkey of any age. “Tom turkey” is thought to come from “Thomas turkey cock” and was shortened to just “tom.”

• Gobbler – Male turkeys are called gobblers because of the unique gobbling sound they make Gobblers use this resonant gobbling to attract females during mating season

• Stag – Less common than tom or gobbler, a male turkey may also be called a stag turkey This comes from the term “stag” used to denote a male animal

Identifying a Male Turkey

There are a few key physical characteristics that can help you distinguish a male turkey from a female:

• Size – Mature male turkeys, also called toms, are substantially larger than females. A male wild turkey can weigh 16-24 pounds while females are typically 8-10 pounds. Male domesticated turkeys are even heavier, sometimes weighing over 30 pounds

• Plumage – The feathers of a male turkey, called a tom, are much more vibrant and distinctive. They have metallic, iridescent feathers in shades of green, copper, bronze, and gold overall. The wings have white barring while the main tail feathers are chestnut brown.

• Snood & Wattle – Two fleshy protuberances that hang from the male’s beak are more developed than the female’s. The snood is the floppy projection over the bill while the wattle are the flaps under the chin. These turn bright red when males are excited.

• Spurs – Male turkeys have spurs on the back of their legs that are used for fighting and display. Female turkeys lack these leg spurs.

• Strutting – A key behavior for identifying toms is their strutting during mating displays. They spread their tail feathers, puff out their bodies, and aggressively stomp while gobbling.

Male Turkey Behaviors

In addition to their physical attributes, male turkeys exhibit some signature behaviors, especially during breeding season:

• Gobbles – Male turkeys are famously known for their distinctive gobbling sounds. They make these resonant calls to attract females and ward off competing males.

• Strutting – Part of their mating display involves aggressive strutting to intimidate rivals and impress females. They stomp, spread their tail, puff up, and drag their wings.

• Courting – Toms perform elaborate courtship displays to attract hens during mating season. They strut around, drape their wings, flutter jump, and emit gobbles.

• Fighting – Males often engage in aggressive fights, pushing, kicking, and pecking each other with their spurs to establish dominance.

• Guarding – Tom turkeys guard and mate with groups of hens. They will chase away and attack other males who encroach on their harem.

Raising Male Turkeys

For poultry farmers raising domestic turkeys, the males and females are managed a bit differently:

• Male poults are typically separated from females at around 4-5 months old to prevent fighting and injuries.

• Toms are raised for longer than hens, reaching a slaughter weight of 40-50 pounds at about 5-6 months old.

• Only a few select males are kept for breeding while the rest are sold for meat production.

• Aggression between males may need to be controlled through de-snooding or using poultry blinders.

• Male turkeys need extra space and require lower bird density to curb fighting.

Why Identify the Males?

Being able to properly sex and identify male turkeys is an important skill for farmers and breeders for several reasons:

• Only mature toms are suitable for breeding purposes. Knowing males from females ensures breeding success.

• Males grow much larger and require separate housing and feed rations from females.

• Aggression and fertility are managed by controlling male to female ratios.

• Removing excess males prevents injuries from inter-male competition and fighting.

• Harvesting males at optimal weight for meat yields relies on accurately identifying gender.

So properly differentiating the males allows for better reproduction, health, feeding, housing, and product quality.

Fun Facts About Male Turkeys

Here are some interesting tidbits about the male turkey anatomy and behavior:

• A male’s wattle can grow up to 12 inches long, exceeding 6 inches is rare in females.

• The flap of skin over a male’s beak called a snood acts like a turkey thermometer, changing color with mood.

• Male turkeys can puff up their bodies until they are nearly round as a dominance display.

• The “beard” that hangs from a male turkey’s chest is a tuft of specialized feathers that continues to grow throughout its life.

• During mating season, a tom turkey’s head can change colors from red to blue to white almost instantly.

• Toms “strut” in mating displays by walking erect with tail fanned and wings dragging to leave scent from special wing glands.

In Summary

The names used to identify a male turkey include tom, gobbler, and stag. You can recognize mature males by their large size, iridescent plumage, prominent snood and wattle, leg spurs, and characteristic strutting, gobbling and courtship rituals. Identifying males is important for breeding, housing, feeding and processing turkey flocks. So next time you see a turkey strutting his stuff and fanning his colorful tail feathers, you’ll know he’s a proud tom out wooing the hens!