common turkey
Quick Summary
The common turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a game bird native to North America that has been domesticated for its meat. It belongs to the family Phasianidae or Meleagrididae. The domestication of the common turkey likely began in pre-Columbian Mexico, with the birds first brought to Spain around 1519 and then spreading throughout Europe.1
Adult male turkeys, also known as gobblers or toms, are larger than females (hens) and have distinctive features like a fleshy snood on their forehead, a wattle on their throat, and a tuft of feathers on their breast. Their heads are typically red but can turn blue when excited. Wild turkeys prefer woodlands and eat seeds, insects, and small animals. They are known for their courtship displays, which involve strutting, gobbling sounds, and fanning their tail feathers.1
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galliformImportance to humansThe North American wild turkey, once nearly exterminated by overhunting, has responded to careful management and is now taken in fair numbers in the hardwood forests of the eastern United States. Grouse (including ptarmigan) are hunted throughout their range.
Read MoreThe North American wild turkey, once nearly exterminated by overhunting, has responded to careful management and is now taken in fair numbers in the hardwood forests of the eastern United States. Grouse (including ptarmigan) are hunted throughout their range.
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CanadaForest regionsIn southern Ontario the wild turkey, which had disappeared because of hunting and reduction of its habitat, was reintroduced in the 1980s with some success. Coyotes are now seen as far south as the parkland ravines of Toronto. A broad range of wildlife species inhabit the Western Cordillera, with…
Read MoreIn southern Ontario the wild turkey, which had disappeared because of hunting and reduction of its habitat, was reintroduced in the 1980s with some success. Coyotes are now seen as far south as the parkland ravines of Toronto. A broad range of wildlife species inhabit the Western Cordillera, with…
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ConnecticutPlant and animal lifeThe wild turkey, missing from the state since the early 19th century, is abundant again after having been reintroduced in the 1970s. Shorebirds, waterfowl, and seabirds abound along the coast.Lyme disease, a potentially debilitating bacterial infection spread by ticks, was first identified in the southeastern town…
Read MoreThe wild turkey, missing from the state since the early 19th century, is abundant again after having been reintroduced in the 1970s. Shorebirds, waterfowl, and seabirds abound along the coast.Lyme disease, a potentially debilitating bacterial infection spread by ticks, was first identified in the southeastern town…
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IowaPlant and animal life…been reintroduced, as has the wild turkey, after becoming virtually extinct in the 1960s. The ring-necked pheasant, imported in the early 1900s, remains an important game bird. Other bird species include the goldfinch, oriole, cardinal, bunting, bluejay, and bluebird. The most noted avian resurgence in Iowa, however, is that of…
Read More…been reintroduced, as has the wild turkey, after becoming virtually extinct in the 1960s. The ring-necked pheasant, imported in the early 1900s, remains an important game bird. Other bird species include the goldfinch, oriole, cardinal, bunting, bluejay, and bluebird. The most noted avian resurgence in Iowa, however, is that of…
Read More