wild turkey meleagris gallopavo. turkey facts 5,000-6,000 feathers cover the body in patterns called...
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Turkey Facts
• 5,000-6,000 feathers cover the body in patterns called feather tracts
• Feathers keep turkey dry & warm• Allow them to fly• Allow them to show off for opposite
sex• Head & upper part of neck is
featherless
• Feathers exhibit a metallic glittering called iridescence
• Feather colors vary from red to green to copper to bronze to gold
• Male is more colorful• Female is drab brownish to lighter
color to help camouflage with surroundings
• Male turkey is called the gobbler• Female turkey is called the hen• Two major characteristics that
distinguish males from females, Spurs & Beards
• Males begin growing spurs soon after birth
• Spurs can reach up to 2 inches long
• Beards are modified feathers growing out of chest
• Beards grow to an average of 9 inches long but can grow much longer
• 10-20% of hens will have beards• Have excellent vision during the day• Poor night vision• Very mobile
• Turkeys can run up to 25 mph• Turkeys can fly up to 55 mph• Mating season can occur between
February & April• Hens nest in shallow dirt
depressions on the ground• Hens lay a clutch of 10-12 eggs
during a 2-week period, usually laying one egg per day
• Hens will incubate eggs for about 28 days, occasionally turning & rearranging the eggs until they are ready to hatch
• Newly hatched flock must be ready to leave the nest within 12-24 hours to feed
• Young turkeys are called poults
• Poults eat insects, berries & seeds• Adults will eat anything from acorns
& berries to insects & small reptiles• Usually feed in early morning &
afternoon• Like open areas for feeding, mating
& habitat• Forested areas are used as cover
from predators & night roosting sites
• A varied habitat of both open & covered areas is essential for wild turkey survival
• Pittman-Robertson Act helped restore wild turkeys & habitat
• The rocket net allowed wildlife agencies to trap & relocate wild turkeys
• From 30,000 in the early 1900’s to over 7 million today
• Turkeys cannot overpopulate an area and strip it of available food since their diet varies
• Gobblers will mate with multiple hens in a season or day
• An abundance of hens can allow a population to recover from poor hatch years in as few as two years
Predator-Prey Relationship
• Survival of the fittest• Fit individuals maintain a healthy
breeding population• Turkey nests are the main target of
predators• Snakes, skunks, opossums, raccoons,
rodents, dogs, coyotes & crows prey on nests of turkeys
• About ½ of turkey nests make it to hatching
• Poults fall prey to hawks, owls, foxes & bobcats
• Few adults are taken by predators except in situations where the adults are in poor health
Habitat
• Habitat quality also determines how a species will survive predators
• Early successional plant stages provide shelter for poults & nests
• Habitat quality & distribution is more important than the number of predators
Turkey Information
• Largest of the North American game birds
• Adult males weigh between 16 & 24 pounds
• Adult females weigh between 8 & 10 pounds
• Largest wild turkey on record weighed 37 pounds
Feathers
• Males: Iridescent red, green, copper, bronze & gold feathers
• Toms use bright colors for attracting females during breeding season
• Females: Drab, usually brown or gray feathers. Allow hens to camouflage & hide while nesting
Color Phases
• 4 basic color phases• Smokey gray color phase• Melanistic color phase (all black)• Erythritic color phase (reddish
coloration)• Albino color phase (very rare)
Head
• Males: brightly colored, nearly featherless; during breeding season the head color will change between red, white & blue, often in a few seconds
• Females: gray-blue with some small feathers for camouflage
• Carnucles: fleshy growths on the heads of males & females
• Snoods: fleshy protrubances which hang over their bills & can be extended or contracted at will
• Male snoods is much larger than females
• Unsure of what the snoods are for but believed to be developed as a way to attract mates
Beards
• Cluster of long, hair-like feathers grown from the center of the chest, known as a beard
• On males, the average beard is 9” long
• 10-20 percent of hens will grow beards
• Longest beard on record is more than 18” long
Legs
• Reddish orange in color• Have 4 toes on each foot• Males will grow large spurs on the
back of their lower legs• Bony spikes used for defense &
establish dominance• Can grow up to 2” long• Longest spurs on record are 2 ¼” long
Tail
• Usually 12-15 inches long & banded at the tips
• Color bands will vary by subspecies• Males will fan their tails to attract a
mate• Adult males can be distinguished
from juvenile males by the length of tail feathers
History• Early 1900’s most wild turkey
populations had been wiped out due to habitat destruction & commercial harvest.
• Turnaround began with Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act
• Today more than 7 million wild turkeys roam North America with huntable populations in all states except Alaska
• Native to North America• 5 subspecies:
– Eastern– Osceola (Florida)– Rio Grande– Merriam’s – Gould’s
Eastern Subspecies(Meleagris gallopavo silvestris)
• Most common of the wild turkeys• Ranges the entire eastern half of the
United States & farthest north• Found in hardwood & mixed forests• Has been transplanted into
California, Oregon & Washington• Silvestris means “forest” turkey
• Tail feathers tipped with dark buff or chocolate brown
• Breast feathers tipped in black• Toms may measure 4’ tall at
maturity & weigh more than 20 pounds
• Hens may be nearly as tall but usually weigh between 8 & 12 pounds
Osceola Subspecies(Melagris gallopavo osceola)
• Also known as the Florida wild turkey• Found only in Florida• Named for Seminole Chief Osceola• Tail feathers tipped in brown• Body feathers appear to have a green
& red tint with less bronze than the Eastern
• Reproductive cycle begins slightly earlier than the Eastern
Rio Grande Subspecies(Melagris gallopavo intermedia)
• Native to the Central Plain States• Similar in appearance to other
subspecies• Tail feathers are yellowish-buff or tan
rather than medium or dark brown• May be found up to 6,000 feet in
elevation• Favors more open habitat than
wooded
• Considered a nomadic bird• May form large flocks of several
hundred birds during winter• Known to travel 10 or more miles
from winter roost sites to nesting areas
• Similar in size to the Osceola• Disproportionately long legs
Merriam’s Subspecies(Melagris gallopavo merriami)
• Found primarily in the Ponderosa Pine, western regions of the U.S.
• Historic range was Arizona, New Mexico & Colorado
• Has been successfully stocked into Nebraska, Washington, California & Oregon
• Habitat dependent
• Males easily distinguished from other subspecies by nearly white feathers on lower back & tail feather margins
• Closely resemble the Gould’s but tail margin is not as pure white nor is the margin of the tail tip quite as wide
• Comparable to the Eastern subspecies in size
Gould’s Subspecies(Melagris gallopavo mexicana)
• 5th but least known subspecies• Found in portions of Arizona & New
Mexico as well as northern Mexico• A mountain bird• Very small numbers along
US/Mexico borders but abundant in northwestern Mexico
• Largest of the 5 subspecies• Resembles the Merriam’s• Have longer legs, larger feet &
larger center tail feathers• Have distinctive white tips on tail
feathers• Body plumage is said to be
somewhat blue-green• Females are more purplish
Ocellated Turkey(Melagris ocellata)
• Found only on the Yucatan Peninsula• Exists in only a 50,000 square mile
area• Males & females have similar
appearance• Neither grow beards• Have distinct eye-ring of bright red
colored skin
• Legs are much shorter than North American subspecies
• Have longer & more pronounced spurs than N.A. gobblers
• Significantly smaller; males weigh 11-12 pounds & females weigh 6-7 pounds