Courtship Display - Wild Turkey

The American wild turkey, to me, symbolizes the wild America which greeted the pilgrims when they arrived. The birds, like the land and the Indians, were strong, bold and flamboyant, yet vulnerable. I can imagine the bounty of the hardwood forests existing in harmony with the native Americans. The turkeys were quite shy and , like the Indian way of life, could not stand the pressures of civilization. Thus, they are scarce in most of their former range.

I tried to show the male in his proudest spring display, like a fierce, tribal warrior. Everything is inflated. To increase the explosive impact I pushed the tail feathers beyond the picture frame and repeated the shape of the arc.