Wildlife Wednesday 11/27/2024

Gobble gobble! It’s #WildlifeWednesday and we are celebrating the Wild Turkey!

Preferring woodland habitat interspersed with open spaces such as fields, pastures, and orchards, these large heavy-bodied birds with long necks and small heads feed on the ground, strutting and striding through forests and grasslands like small prehistoric dinosaurs.

Adult males, or toms, weigh in at 12-25 pounds and have a huge colorful fan-shaped tail they spread out for display. Their featherless heads and necks change color based on their mood, varying between red, blue, and white. During courtship rituals they drum, boom, gobble, and spit to establish social dominance. When excited the wattles on their necks and throats become deep scarlet with blood flow, and a fleshy flap on their beak called the snood expands.

The females, or hens, are quite a bit smaller, weighing in at 9 pounds on average. The hens provide all parental care for the chicks, feeding them until they are able to find food on their own. They forage in groups, scouring and scratching the ground for acorns, nuts, seeds, berries, buds, insects, and occasionally small reptiles and amphibians. Hens and their broods often form enormous groups, with winter flocks exceeding 200 individuals.

Though they spend much time on the ground and have relatively small wings, Wild Turkeys are accomplished and agile fliers, reaching speeds near 50 mph over short distances. They fly to high tree branches at dusk, where they will roost for the night in groups.

In the early 20th century the population of the Wild Turkey had plummeted due to hunting and habitat loss and in 1904 turkeys were completely extirpated from Ohio. Thanks to management, conservation efforts, and reintroduction via trap and transfer, the charismatic fowl has made a comeback and can be found in all 88 counties, which is certainly something to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!