Bush Turkey Australian Bird Earrings

Bush Turkey Earrings.

Made from our original hand painted design, these earrings are printed with eco-friendly inks, onto light weight sustainably grown hoop pine and finished with stainless steel hoops, perfect for sensitive ears!

Alectura lathami, the Australian bush, brush or scrub turkey and gweela in the local language is a large, ground dwelling, mound-building bird found in the rainforests, eucalypt forests, woodlands, scrubs and urban areas of eastern Australia from Cape York Peninsula to the Illawarra region of NSW. Have black-brown plumage, a bald red head, yellow neck pouch (or wattle) and an upright fanlike tail. They are solitary, shy birds that live in a set area, foraging on the ground for insects, native fruits and seeds. Clumsy flyers that only take to the air when threatened by predators or to roost in trees at night. Generally quiet but sometimes make soft grunts and males have a deep 3-noted booming call.

Breeding occurs from September to March. In a shady, moist area the dominant male scratches leaf litter, sticks and mulch into a massive mound around 4m in diameter and 1 - 1.5m high. He maintains this at a constant temperature of 33 - 38°C by inserting his bill, which has highly accurate heat sensors, to check the heat and then adding or removing matter as required.

Turkeys don’t form pair bonds and both mate with multiple partners. The male uses various courtship displays to attract the female, they meet briefly at the mound, she checks if it’s the right temperature, then mates with him, digs holes and lays around 24 large white eggs a season. The male keeps watch while the eggs incubate, making sure the temperature is right and defending them from predators. After about 50 days the fully feathered fluffy brown chicks hatch, burrow out of the mound and are immediately independent and able to fly. Life is hard for young turkeys and the chance of becoming an adult is as little as one in 200.

The birds and eggs are a traditional food source and during the 1930s Great Depression they were hunted for food and nearly wiped out in some areas. Today they are fully protected and their numbers have steadily increased. Currently threatened by habitat destruction and introduced predators. Seen as a symbol of hard work, determination, persistence, resilience, adaptability, flexibility in the face of adversity and a deep connection to the Earth and its nourishment.