Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), male
Wild Turkey, Male

Wild Turkey

Meleagris gallopavo

The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a bird native to North America, recognized as the heaviest member of the Galliformes order. It is also the progenitor of the domestic turkey, which originated from a southern Mexican subspecies of wild turkey.

Identification Tips

Adult males, known as toms or gobblers, typically weigh between 5 to 11 kg and measure 100–125 cm in length. Females, or hens, are considerably smaller, weighing 2.5–5.4 kg and measuring 76 to 95 cm. Males boast a fan-shaped tail and iridescent bronze wings, with a featherless, reddish head, red throat, and red wattles. They also have a distinctive "beard," a tuft of coarse hair-like filaments growing from the breast. Females have duller brown and gray plumage.

Habitat

Wild turkeys are found in hardwood and mixed conifer-hardwood forests with openings such as pastures and fields. They adapt to various dense native plant communities, provided there is sufficient coverage and open space.

Distribution

The wild turkey's range covers the entire eastern half of the United States and extends into Canada. It has been introduced to various parts of the western United States and other regions.

Behaviour

Wild turkeys are agile fliers despite their size, usually flying close to the ground for short distances. They roost in trees at night and do not migrate. Socially, males are polygamous and perform a display known as strutting to attract females.

Song & Calls

The wild turkey has a repertoire of calls including gobbles, yelps, purrs, and clucks. The gobble can be heard up to a mile away, used by males to announce their presence.

Breeding

Males display to attract females and may court in groups. Females lay a clutch of 10–14 eggs, which are incubated for at least 28 days. Poults are precocial and leave the nest within 12–24 hours.

Similar Species

The wild turkey is unique in its size and plumage among North American birds, making it unlikely to be confused with other species.

Diet and Feeding

Wild turkeys are omnivorous, foraging on the ground or in low shrubs and trees. They consume a varied diet including acorns, nuts, seeds, berries, insects, and occasionally small reptiles and amphibians.

Conservation status

The wild turkey is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a stable and increasing population due to successful conservation and reintroduction efforts.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Wild Turkey Fun Facts

Did you know?
Male Wild Turkey go red when they're excited; their skin around their face blushes, showing potential females that they are the best male.

Wild Turkeys on Birda

Sightings

More Pheasants & Allies

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Jake W
Great app
I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.