| WILD TURKEY Meleagris gallopavo ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Length: 34 inches Very large, small-headed, round-winged, long-tailed, ground-dwelling bird Unfeathered bluish head and reddish throat Dark breast, belly and upper back Iridescent bronze and green wings Barred primaries Dark, fan-shaped tail with brown or buff band at tip The male adult male has a larger head with wattle at throat, caruncled forehead, and projection behind the bill More iridescent plumage Wild Turkeys live in open woodlands and forests with lots of clearings and meadows. They travel during the day looking for food. Wild Turkeys eat a great variety of foods, including: insects, spiders, snails, slugs, salamanders, small lizards, small frogs, millipedes, grasshoppers, very small snakes, worms, grasses, vines, flowers, acorns, buds, seeds, fruits, clovers, dogwood, blueberries, cherries, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and other vegetation. Wild Turkeys travel in small flocks. For most of the year, they are single-sex flocks. Females are with females, males with males. Young turkeys follow their mothers. Wild Turkeys have good eyesight and hearing, and they are very fast runners. The breeding season is in March and April. A male turkey will try to find a female flock to make his harem. To attract females, the male will gobble and strut, fanning out his tail. He will mate with several females in the flock. Wild Turkey nests are made in the ground. A shallow depression is lined with leaves and covered up with vines and other plants. Ten to fifteen eggs are laid. Eggs are light brown, with black and dark brown spots. The female will sit on the eggs for a month are more. This makes her very vulnerable to predators. Red Foxes, Striped Skunks, crows, snakes, possums, chipmunks, and squirrels are all turkey hunters. |
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