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This Thursday is Thanksgiving, which for many Americans means a table laden with food like mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, pumpkin pie, and of course, turkey. And while you may be familiar with the domestic farm-raised turkeys that often end up as part of the Thanksgiving menu, there is another kind of turkey that deserves attention: the wild turkey

The U.S. is home to five subspecies of wild turkeys. They include the Eastern wild turkey, which can be found in 38 states. The Osceola, or Florida, wild turkey is only found in Florida. Out west in Arizona and New Mexico is Gould’s wild turkey, while Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and other western states are home to the Rio Grande wild turkey. Merriam’s wild turkey is the most abundant species in the western mountain regions.

Wild turkeys roam around woods, wooded swamps, grasslands, and mountain forests. They can fly short distances at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. However, although they can fly, they usually move by walking or running. They often roost in tall trees at night to avoid predators. They forage by scratching at leaf litter with their strong feet to uncover acorns, nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, snails, and even salamanders, and are most active in the early morning and evening. 

In spring, male turkeys gobble to attract females. Then he puffs out his feathers, fans his tail, swells his facial wattles, struts, and makes humming noises. After mating, the female wild turkey will search for a suitable place to make a nest. She scratches at the ground to form a small depression, laying 10 to 12 eggs over about two weeks. The mother turkey raises the young, called poults, on her own.

Wild turkeys almost became extinct in the 1930s due to overhunting and loss of habitat. Fortunately, recovery efforts have been successful, and the turkey population is now thriving in the United States.

 

More Wild Turkey Facts

  • Like domestic turkeys, male turkeys are known as Toms. Females are called hens.
  • A group of turkeys is called a “flock.”
  • The skin flap that goes from the beak to the neck is called the wattle.
  • The bumps on the turkey’s head and neck are called caruncles.
  • An adult turkey has 5,000-6,000 feathers.
  • Wild turkeys can run up to 25 miles per hour.
  • Wild turkeys gobble, but they also cluck and purr.
  • A turkey’s gobbles can be heard a mile or more away.

Turkeys have excellent eyesight and can see in color.

 

A turkey’s tail fan can include 18–20 feathers.

Male turkeys puff out their bodies and spread their tails to show dominance or attract a mate.

Wild turkeys sleep in trees at night to avoid predators.

They have a keen sense of hearing and can detect predators from a distance.

 

Turkeys communicate with more than 20 distinct sounds, including yelps, purrs, and putts.

They can weigh anywhere from 5 to 24 pounds, depending on species and sex.

Wild turkeys are social and often form groups called “flocks,” which can include dozens of birds outside of breeding season.

Turkeys preen their feathers to keep them clean, waterproof, and in good condition for flight.

Want to learn more?

Check out these great sites:  

“Wild Facts about Wild Turkeys.” US Fish and Wildlife Service 

“Wild Turkey.” Audubon. 

“Twelve Unusual and Fascinating Facts about Wild Turkeys.” National Wildlife Federation. 

“Wild Turkey.” National Geographic. 

“Wild Turkey Lifestyle and Breeding.” National Wild Turkey Federation.

 

 

Written by Samantha Bell