How to Identify a Female Turkey
The wild turkey is the largest game bird found in North America. If you're more a connoisseur of the subtleties of dark and light meat during Thanksgiving, then knowing the difference between a male turkey and a female turkey doesn't matter. If you're an outdoorsman, then being able to identify a female turkey is handy.
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Instructions
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Locate an area where turkeys are known to flock. They feed in the woods but need visible areas for mating. The likely places to find turkeys are in fields on the edge of a wooded area or near their nests at the base of shrubs or trees.
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Sit with your binoculars in an inconspicuous area to watch for the turkeys. Wait for them to come out into the open or use a turkey call to provoke them.
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3
Keep a diagram handy to identify the differences between a male and female turkey when you're in the field until you're comfortable discerning between the two.
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Look for the smaller-sized, shorter-legged and dull-colored turkeys in the flock, which are the females. Flocks consist of two male turkeys called toms and about five or more female turkeys called hens.
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5
Check the feet on the turkeys to identify the presence of a spur on the male turkey leg or the absence of the spur on the female leg. The spur is a little spike, or hook, on the leg above the foot.
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Listen for the clucking and clicking sounds that identify a female turkey. Only the male turkeys gobble.
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Compare the size of the head, wattle (skin under the chin) and snood (flap of skin hanging over the bill). These are longer and redder in male turkeys.
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Tips & Warnings
A small number of females possess a beard, which is a grouping of dark feathers usually found on the chest of male turkeys.
Beware of an attack by a male turkey. Various fleshy parts of the turkey's head turn bright red during courtship or when the turkey is agitated. They may attack if they show any of these signs. Keep an eye on their snood and wattle if you get too close.
