Turkey - North American

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Alternative Name

Wild Turkey Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo

Basic Info

A rather large bird, North American Turkey toms can weigh up to 55.11 kilograms. The hens are, of course, somewhat smaller and rarely exceed 26.45 kilograms. As would be expected, the North American Turkey is usually heavier in the fall after a spring and summer of feeding then they are in the winter or early spring. North American Turkey toms have dark, shiny bodies. Their feathers are primarily black, although they are barred with white and striped with brown. North American Turkeys have a caruncle, a knob of skin that extends from their forehead, and a black tuft on the breast. Their wattles, the lobes made of flesh that extend from their chins, are red. The North American Turkey's legs have spurs that can grow up to 3.175 centimeters in length. Their legs are usually silver gray, pinkish gray or pink. Toms have blue or white heads, the color of which can change from season to season.

Health

Wild turkeys can be relatively easy to care for if given the proper care and attention. Some hobbyists suggest starting with a young turkey (raising the egg may be even better, because then your bird will imprint on you when it hatches) . If you do choose to begin with a young turkey you can start it out in a small hamster / rabbit cage. Keep a heat lamp hanging in the cage, or if the cage has a wire top you can set it on top. Start your poult out on young chick feed which you can purchase at a feed store. Also, have a chick waterer in the cage with a thin lip, or you can fill the brim with marbles so the poult won't fall in and drown. Make sure the cage is filled with pine shavings or paper pet litter. Handle the chick as much as possible, so he will bond to you. When the poult is so big that he does not fit in his cage any more, build it a large outdoor coup with wooden frames, relatively sturdy wire walls (don't forget to wire the floor, too, to keep predators from digging in) & pine-shaving bedding. If your Turkey is a female, put a wooden box with the opening facing outward for her to lay in. Put a few sturdy wooden perches on top of the box resting through the wire on the other side. Your turkey's stage 2 food will be cracked corn, & then cracked corn pellets. Keep a large bowl of fresh clean water in the coup at all times, and also keep a weighted-down tarp over the top to keep rain, snow and hot sun off of your turkey. Breeding North American Turkeys are polygamous animals, meaning the males will mate with more than one female per season. In the spring, the toms attempt to draw a harem of hens to themselves by strutting, gobbling and fanning their tales. The tom's call is quite loud and can be heard almost two miles away! After the male mates with the female, the hen will lay between eight and fifteen eggs. The eggs are usually laid about two or three weeks after the birds mate. The hen lays her eggs in a nest built on the ground and surrounded by grass, vines, brush, or fallen trees. The eggs usually hatch after about 28 days of incubation.

Habitat

N/A

Behavior

The North American Turkey is also known as both the Wild Turkey and the Domestic Turkey. They are one of the preferred quarries of hunters everywhere, but are also, one of the most commonly kept domestic turkeys in the world. North American Turkeys in the wild generally feed during the daytime or right before the sun rises. The North American Turkey generally lives on the edge of forests, fields, and orchards and sometimes mashes. They are often observed grazing for food. A nervous, cautious animal, the North American Turkey utilizes its excellent hearing and eyesight in avoiding predators. The North American Turkey is swift, both on land and in the air. In fact, they are one of the fastest flyers known among the game birds. North American Turkeys can fly up to 88.5 kilometers per hour. North American Turkeys travel in flocks, using calls only when the flock gets broken up.

Origin

North America

History

One of the most common game birds in North America, the North American Turkey can be found throughout the western and southern United States, New England, and the Atlantic seaboard. They can also be found south to Guatemala and north into Canada. There are six subspecies of North American Turkeys, including two called the "Eastern," two named "Merriam's," the "Rio Grande" and the "Florida." North American Turkeys are one of the most commonly hunted birds in the United States. Turkey hunting can deposit millions of dollars into the coffers of the state Department of Natural Resources as well as other private and public organizations. Because the North American Turkey is so common, hunting helps keep the population in check. Most turkey hunting is selective, meaning that the healthiest members of the turkey population survive to continue breeding. Many organizations are beginning to release domestically bred North American Turkeys into the wild, although they are not considered endangered in any way. These organizations are just seeking to extend the natural range of the bird. In Ohio, the North American Turkey disappeared from the wild in the early 20th century and began to be reintroduced in the 1950s. Many people feel the introduction or reintroduction of domestically bred North American Turkeys into the wild is detrimental to the breed because the "soft" domestic birds will reduce the quality of the gene pool. Regardless of whether reintroduction continues, North American Turkeys will remain one of the most abundant and one of the most popular game birds in the United States into the future.

Common Foods

They eat food that they find on the ground, including nuts, berries, flowers, insects and seeds.