Wild Turkey

The wild turkey is a large, ground-dwelling bird native to forests and woodland edges across much of North America, the ancestor of the domesticated turkey raised for food worldwide. Males are considerably larger than females and display iridescent bronze-green plumage along with a bare, colorful head and a fan of long tail feathers used in elaborate courtship displays accompanied by the familiar gobbling call. Wild turkeys are strong runners and capable short-distance fliers, roosting in trees overnight for safety from ground predators and feeding by day on acorns, seeds, fruit and insects. Once eliminated from large parts of its historic range by overhunting and habitat loss, the wild turkey has rebounded strongly across North America through reintroduction programs and is now common in many areas.