Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) can be wild fun when you consider how unique and incredible these birds really are. While most birders and non-birders alike can easily recognize the distinctive plumage and gobbling call of these game birds, how much do you really know about them?
- Due to overhunting and deforestation that eliminated wild turkeys’ habitat, these birds were nearly extinct in the 1930s. Today, there are more than 7 million wild turkeys.
- There are approximately 5,500 feathers on an adult wild turkey.
- There are five distinct subspecies of wild turkeys: Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriam’s and Gould’s. Subtle plumage differences and different ranges distinguish the birds.
- Wild turkeys have very powerful legs and can run at speeds up to 25 miles per hour. Their top speed in flight is 55 miles per hour. Domestic birds, on the other hand, are bred to be heavier and cannot fly.
- These birds are omnivorous. Most of their diet is grass and grain, but they will also eat insects, berries and small reptiles.
- The average lifespan of a wild turkey is 3-5 years, and the oldest known wild turkey lived to be at least 13.
- In the wild, turkeys range from 5-20 pounds. Domestic turkeys are specially bred to be heavier.
- Because it is a native bird with a proud demeanor and protective instincts, the wild turkey was Benjamin Franklin’s choice for the national bird.
- A wild turkey’s gobble can be heard up to one mile away.
- Adult male turkeys are called toms and females are called hens. Very young birds are poults, while juvenile males are jakes and juvenile females are jennies. A group of turkeys is called a flock.
- The wild turkey is one of only two birds native to North America that has been regularly domesticated. The other is the Muscovy duck.
- Alaska and Hawaii are the only two states without extensive wild turkey populations.
- The wild turkey’s bald head can change color in seconds with excitement or emotion. The birds’ heads can be red, pink, white or blue.
- Wild turkeys see in color and have excellent daytime vision that is three times better than a human’s eyesight and covers 270 degrees, but they have poor vision at night.
- Just hatched wild turkeys are precocial, which means they are born with feathers and can fend for themselves quickly, and they leave the nest within 24 hours to forage for food with their mothers. The male turkeys have very little to do with raising chicks.
- Wild turkeys were first domesticated in Mexico and then exported to Europe. European settlers brought domesticated turkeys back to the New World with them as colonists.
- The first unofficial presidential pardons were granted to domestic turkeys in 1947, and since then every president has “pardoned” two birds (a presidential turkey and a vice presidential turkey) before Thanksgiving.
- June is National Turkey Lovers’ Month and promotes eating turkey at times other than major holidays, since turkey meat is low in fat and high in protein, making it healthier than many other meats.
- The average American eats 18 pounds of turkey every year, and more turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving than on Christmas and Easter combined.
- The wild turkey is the official game bird of Alabama, Massachusetts and South Carolina.
