Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey: Large, ground-walking bird, iridescent dark brown overall with black and green bars, small, featherless, blue head that changes color according to mood, and red throat wattles. Breast beard (modified feathers) is black. The legs have spurs. It is the largest game bird in North America.
● Song:
"cluk, cluk, cut, putt"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Wild Turkey: Feeds on seeds, acorns, leaves, grains, berries, and insects. Young birds feed primarily on insects for the first few weeks of life, and then shift to a diet similar to that of adults.
● Breeding & nesting:
Wild Turkey: Eight to twenty white or buff eggs, marked or spotted with brown or red, are laid in a shallow ground depression lined with a few leaves and grass and built at the base of a tree or in dense vegetation. Incubation ranges from 27 to 28 days and is carried out by the female.
● Similar species:
Wild Turkey: None in range.