Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Turkeys can run up to 25 mph and fly in short bursts up to 55 mph, though they prefer to roost in trees at night for safety.
- Scientific name
- Meleagris gallopavo
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Galliformes › Phasianidae › Meleagris
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Mature forests with interspersed clearings, orchards, and adjacent grasslands.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; primarily acorns, beech nuts, seeds, berries, insects, and occasionally small amphibians.
- Range
- United States, Southern Canada, Northern Mexico
- Size
- Height: 3-4 feet; Wingspan: 4-5 feet; Weight: 5-22 lbs
- Lifespan
- 3-5 years in the wild
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, predation of nests by raccoons and opossums, and severe spring weather.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but wary. Do not feed turkeys, as it encourages bold or aggressive behavior. Maintain a distance of 20 feet. If a male struts aggressively toward you, stand your ground, wave your arms, and make loud noises to assert dominance.
The wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) is an upland ground bird 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). Although native to North America, the turkey probably got its name from the domesticated variety being imported to Britain in ships coming from the Levant via Spain....
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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