I don’t know why wild turkeys very occasionally flap their wings when standing on the ground. Swans often do so on water to straighten out their wing feathers, but this does not appear to be the case for turkeys. When turkeys flap, it is very quick, often less than a second — maybe they are just stretching. If the bird isn’t already in the camera’s focus, the flap is likely missed.
This first picture shows two female Wild Turkeys, and one is standing tall and flapping wings. Indeed, the first time I saw turkeys wing flapping, it was by a female. Although this is the mating season for them, the females apparently are not yet in oestrus. So as they wander about, they have only food on their minds, not mating. They thus have more time for standing tall and spreading wings than do the males, who are thinking of other things.
This older male is in his mating display. His tail is up and his wings are almost touching the ground. His one concern at this time seems to be seeking the interest of a female. (If he gets hungry, he drops his display.) So, at first, I had not expected him to add spread wings to his display. Yet, by happenstance, I saw it once, but at that time, he was largely behind a tree. So, the hunt was on to take a good picture of the male display plus raised wings.
And this is it: a male Wild Turkey in display, yet standing tall and flapping wings. Grand!
What proud male displays…fancy dancers! Thanks, as always, for showing their fanciness! With more sun light at just the right amount and the optimum angle, I’d love seeing more of the irridescence!