| Scientific Name
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Meleagris gallopavo
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| Classification
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Phylum: Chordata; Class: Aves; Order: Galliformes; Family: Phasianidae
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| Status
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Stable
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| Range
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North America: California, Oregon, Washington, Plains states, Rocky mountain states, southeast U.S., eastern states; portions of Mexico; small areas of Canada
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| Habitat
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Forests interspersed with open areas
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| Diet
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Forage for nuts, seeds, acorns, insects
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| Size
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20-25 lbs.
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| Lifespan
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6-8 yrs.
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| Location
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Print Fact Sheet
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Turkey
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Special Features
- Mature male turkeys are often referred to as "gobblers" because of their characteristic "gobble" vocalization. Gobblers less than one year of age are called "jakes". Female turkeys are known as "hens".
- Gobblers have prominent caruncles, 'globs' of red flesh, along the base of their neck.
- Gobblers, and occasionally hens, have hair-like feathers at the top of the breast called a beard. The "beard" may be 8-12 inches long on mature gobblers.
- Males also have "spurs" on the backs of their legs which are used in fights for dominance and to defend against predators.
- Wild turkeys are somewhat smaller and more slender than their domesticated counterparts.
- Females and immature birds have duller colors and are smaller than the males.
- Turkeys "are efficient fliers and can reach speeds of 50 mph".
- Predators of wild turkeys include humans, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, opossums, bobcats, foxes, weasels, mink, squirrels, chipmunks, hawks, and various snake species.
Social Structure & Behavior
Wild turkeys roost in trees at night.
Male turkeys often have 10 or more females in their "harems".
Breeding & Care of Young:
Wild turkeys are polygamous. A dominant male will breed with several hens.
The mating season runs from February through April. In Kansas, the breeding season typically begins in mid-March.
Males have rather elaborate courtship rituals. During the breeding season, a male struts, puffs up his body feathers, fans his large tail feathers, and drags the tips of his primary wing feather tips as he walks in a tight 'S' pattern. The male's coloration becomes more vivid: the snood and caruncles turn bright red and the forehead turns white or light turquoise.
Males also use their characteristic "gobbling" call more frequently during the breeding season.
Males are often so consumed by performing their mating rituals that they forego eating. "The breast sponge, a ball of fatty reserve located at the juncture of the neck and breast" provides them with energy (Hlavachick 8).
Females typically lay 10-12 eggs in a nest. Nests are shallow depressions lined with grass and leaves.
Hens incubate the eggs. After 28 days, the eggs hatch, and the young turkeys, often called "poults", emerge.
Turkey chicks, like all pheasant-like birds are precocial birds. That means that they hatch feathered and ready to follow their parents. Birds, such as parrots, which are born featherless and helpless are referred to as altricial.
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