Wild Turkey Description:

Wild Turkeys are large, terrestrial birds with a bulky body and strong legs. Their plumage is generally brown, and the primaries are black with white bars. Males have bare skin on the head, which can change in color from red to white to blue. They have wattles on the neck and a short, bristle-like “beard” on the chest. Their metatarsal (leg) spurs grow with age. Males are much larger than females, reaching a length of 46” and weighing about 22 pounds. Females have lengths of approximately 37”, and weigh only about 9 pounds. Females have more feathers on the head and neck, and much smaller wattles. Most females lack a beard and spurs, although they do have a small keratin-covered knob in place of a spur. Females are usually lighter in color than males, but color also varies throughout their range. Turkeys in eastern parts of their range are darker than those in arid western regions.

Wild Turkey Range:

US, Mexico, and Central America

Wild Turkey Habitat:

Temperate and subtropical forest, shrubland, grassland, and agricultural land

Wild Turkey Diet:

In the wild, they eat seeds, fruit, tubers, leaves, and insects. In the zoo, turkeys eat scratch mix and game bird maintenance.

Wild Turkey Life Cycle:

Wild Turkeys begin breeding in the early spring. Males attract females by gobbling and strutting with the wings lowered and the tail fanned out. During courtship, the male’s wattles are enlarged, and the skin of the head and neck takes on bright colors. After mating, the female departs to lay and incubate her eggs alone. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, usually in dense cover. The eggs are buff with brown speckles and blotches, and there are usually 10-13 eggs per clutch. Incubation takes 28 days. The young, called “poults”, leave the nest within hours of hatching. They can fly at 2-3 weeks. They leave the mother when they are 9-11 months old, and breed by their second year. Young males stay close to their natal area, usually traveling with other male siblings. Females may disperse up to 30 miles, providing a way for the species to colonize new areas. Turkeys can live more than 10 years, but usually do not survive beyond 5 years in the wild.

Domestic turkeys have the unusual ability to reproduce by parthenogenesis. Unmated females can produce chicks from unfertilized eggs. All of the chicks from the unfertilized eggs are male, and about 20% will be able to reproduce as adults. Although parthenogenesis has only been documented in domestic turkeys, it is thought to happen in the wild as well.

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