#courtship

#courtship

No, I don't want a candle that smells like turkey, because, well, we'll be cooking turkey. Nor do I want a sunrise alarm clock that mimics natural light, because I can leave the curtains open. And I definitely don't want a salmon DNA pink collagen jelly mask (Good Housekeeping's Best for Beauty Lovers), because said DNA comes from milt. AKA semen. If I wanted fish sperm on my face, I would tickle some pollocks.

Most Americans think of turkeys in November, but for wild turkeys, the real drama unfolds in spring, when breeding season transforms forests and fields into complex social arenas filled with high-stakes courtship. During this time, male turkeys, or toms, display a striking combination of physical traits and behaviors to attract females, including gobbling calls, fanned tails, sharp spurs, hair-like beards on their chests, and the elongated snood draping over their beak, which research shows is a key factor in female choice.