Meleagris gallopavo
Wild Turkeys are wary birds with refined senses and a highly developed social system, so predators can seldom sneak up on a foraging, but attentive, flock. Although turkeys prefer to stay on the ground, they can fly short distances, and they often roost in trees for the night. The turkey is the only native North American animal that has been widely domesticated. The wild ancestors of chickens, pigs, cows, sheep and other most other domestic animals all came from Europe, Asia and Africa. The Wild Turkey was Benjamin Franklin's choice for America's national emblem. It lost to the Bald Eagle by one ballot in a congressional vote. The genus is named for Meleager, a character in Greek mythology who was a hero in a Caledonian boar hunt. |
I.D.: General: very large; naked red-blue head; dark, glossy, iridescent body plumage; copper tail is tipped in dirty white; unfeathered legs. Male: long central breast feather; more colorful on the head and body; red wattles. Female: blue-gray head; less iridescent body. Size: Male: L 48-50 in. (122-127 cm). Female: L 35-37 in. (89-94 cm). Range: local resident in the foothills north to the Canadian border; absent from high elevations. Habitat: mixed woodlands and agricultural areas in the foothills. Nesting: on the ground in open woods or along the edge of a field; in a slight depression lined with grass and leaves; female incubates 10-12 eggs for up to 28 days. Feeding: forages on the ground for various plant items, including seeds, fruits, bulbs and sedges; also eats insects, such as ground beetles and grasshoppers, and less frequently amphibians. Voice: wide array of sounds: courting male gives a loud gobble; alarm call is a loud pert; gathering call is a cluck; contact call is a loud keouk-keouk-keouk. Similar Species: none. |
