Meleagris
gallopavo
(Wild
Turkey)
Physical
Description:
Male: 46-48" (116-122
cm), female: 36" (90-91 cm). Largest North American game bird. Featherless,
blue-gray head with red wattles (larger in males). All dark with Iridescent
reddish and bronzy cast;
tail and rump tipped whitish; wings barred. Male has spurs and long dangling
tuft of feathers in middle of breast.
Song:
Similar
to domestic turkey gobble.
Distribution:
Native
to eastern and southwestern U.S., Mexico, and southern Ontario. Extirpated or
reduced populations in some of those areas have been re- introduced; also re-introduced
widely outside of former range.
or mixed deciduous-coniferous areas). Also found in
agricultural areas in some regions; agricultural areas may provide important food
resources in winter. In an Idaho study, brood rearing sites were characterized
by low overstory canopy cover and high ground cover.
Diet:
Feeds on seeds, nuts, acorns, fruits,
grains, buds, and young grass blades. During summer, eats many insects; may
also eat some small vertebrates (frogs, toads, snakes, etc.).
Ecology:
Nests in depression on ground. Usually
forages on ground. Roosts in trees at night. Sexes usually form separate flocks in winter. Severe winters
and/or lack of winter habitat are important limiting factors in many northern
areas., In Massachusetts study, predation exerted greatest influence on productivity;
in Minnesota study, winter conditions and resulting pre- breeding female condition
were important factor. In southeaster Oklahoma study, mean seasonal home range
for adult females were 225 ha (winter), 865 ha (spring), 780 ha (summer), and
459 ha (fall). In Colorado study, adult males moved average distance of 5.3
km from winter ranges to spring breeding areas, and sub-adult males moved average
distance of 8.7 km; in spring, males moved about 1000 m between morning and
evening roosts used on same day.
Reproduction:
Female incubates average of 10-12 eggs
for 27-28 days (in northeastern Colorado, most nests are initiated mid-April
to mid-May). Hatching begins in May in southern range, usually early June in
north. Young are tended by female; brood stay together until winter. Females
first breed as yearlings. An Idaho study compared
nest success and initiation rates between resident and introduced hens and found
no significant difference.
Conservation:
| Element Code: | ABNLC14010 |
| Status: | Game species |
| Global Rank: | G5 |
| State Rank: | SE |
| National Rank: | N5 |
Important State References:
Edelman, F.B. 1995. Ecology of Merriam's
wild turkeys in west central Idaho. M.S. Thesis, Univ. of Idaho, Moscow. 168pp.