What bird has its own holiday? Yep you're right the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) has had its own day Turkey Day, or Thanksgiving for a long time. There's more to this bird than stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

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The wild turkey has red-yellow to grey-green legs. Their body feathers are usually black or dark brown. Adult males have a featherless reddish head, and reddish wattles on the throat or neck. A male wild turkey’s tail feathers are a big fan shape group of feathers that can have areas of green, red, purple, copper, bronze, and gold. The wild turkey uses its tail feathers to attract mates. Female wild turkeys feathers are usually a lot duller everywhere. The tom (adult male) usually weighs 11 lb to 24lb and the hen (female) 5lb-12lb. The tom is usually 39-49 in long, whereas the hen is about 30-37 in long.

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Wild turkeys like to live in hardwood forests with openings such as orchards, fields, and pastures.The wild turkey has pretty much learned to adapt to any forest like environment. the wild turkey can live in oak, red oak, beech, cherry, and white ash forests. they can also be found at plantations, farms, and clearings. The Wild turkey is found in  in North America such as some places in Mexico but mostly in eastern USA. The wild Turkey has been decreasing since the 20th century , because hunting and loss of habitat, so animal scientists started making changes to help the bird. So today they are actually ranked least concerned  on the conservation status scale. There is an estimate of about 7 million turkeys now compared to 30,000 in the 20th century crazy right!

 

Wild turkeys are omnivores which means they are both carnivores  and herbivores. Wild turkeys forage the ground trees and bushes looking for food. They prefer eating acorns, nuts, trees, seeds, and berries. They sometimes will eat small amphibians and reptiles. Wild turkeys usually feed in cropland, pastures, and backyard feeders.  Humans are the leading predators to Wild Turkeys especially with 7 million floating around. they also have predators such as coyotes, bob cats, cougars, dogs, foxes, and owls.

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As you can see this bird is pretty cool. From Thanksgiving dinners to fighting for a mate they are fascinating all the way around. So next time you see a wild turkey don’t just think of him on your plate. 

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Author: William K.

Date Published: 2/20/14

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