The Turkey

[Guest]

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Turkey
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Adult

Chick

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General Information;

Type: Bird
Diet: Omnivore
Size: Body, 3.6 to 3.8 ft (1.1 to 1.2 m); wingspan, 4.1 to 4.8 ft (1.3 to 1.4 m)
Weight: 5.5 to 18.8 lbs (2.5 to 10.8 kg)
Conservation status:

Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Galliformes, Family: Phasianidae, Subfamily: Meleagridinae, Genus: Meleagris, Species: M. gallopavo
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

# Turkey Range


The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the diverse Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which was originally derived from a southern Mexican subspecies of Wild Turkey (not the related Ocellated Turkey).The turkey was Benjamin Franklin's choice for the United States's national bird. The noble fowl was a favored food of Native Americans. When Europeans arrived, they made it one of only two domestic birds native to the Americas—the Muscovy duck shares the distinction. Yet by the early 20th century, wild turkeys no longer roamed over much of their traditional range. They had been wiped out by hunting and the disappearance of their favored woodland habitat.
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Physical Features;
Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green legs and a black body. Males, called toms or gobblers, have a large, featherless, reddish head, red throat, and red wattles on the throat and neck. The head has fleshy growths called caruncles. When males are excited, a fleshy flap on the bill expands, and this, the wattles and the bare skin of the head and neck all become engorged with blood, almost concealing the eyes and bill. The long fleshy object over a male's beak is called a snood. When a male turkey is excited, its head turns blue; when ready to fight, it turns red. Each foot has three toes, and males have a spur behind each of their lower legs.
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Mental Features;
Male wild turkeys display for females by puffing out their feathers, spreading out their tails and dragging their wings. This behavior is most commonly referred to as strutting. Their heads and necks are colored brilliantly with red, blue and white. The color can change with the turkey's mood, with a solid white head and neck being the most excited. They use gobbling, drumming/booming and spitting as signs of social dominance, and to attract females. Courtship begins during the months of March and April, which is when turkeys are still flocked together in winter areas. Males may be seen courting in groups, often with the dominant male gobbling, spreading their tail feathers (strutting), drumming/booming and spitting.
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Diet;
Wild turkeys are omnivorous, foraging on the ground or climbing shrubs and small trees to feed. They prefer eating hard mast such as acorns, nuts, and various trees, including hazel, chestnut, hickory, and pinyon pine as well as various seeds, berries such as juniper and bearberry, roots and insects. Turkeys also occasionally consume amphibians and small reptiles such as lizards and snakes. Poults have been observed eating insects, berries, and seeds. Wild turkeys often feed in cow pastures, sometimes visit back yard bird feeders, and favor croplands after harvest to scavenge seed on the ground. Turkeys are also known to eat a wide variety of grasses. Turkey populations can reach large numbers in small areas because of their ability to forage for different types of food. Early morning and late afternoon are the desired times for eating.
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Threats towards this animal;
The threats towards this animal excluding wolves are:

Raccoons, Opossums, skunks, grey foxes, raptors, groundgohs, sakes, coyotes, bobcats, cougars, eagles, great-horned owls, dogs, and red foxes.
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Credits (c);

Images:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/heypaul/2449674/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravenelle/5906105294/

Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_turkey
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/wild-turkey/?source=A-to-Z
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