![]() ![]() They can kick with their legs and use their bony spurs as weapons. ![]() Wild turkeys and their young often run away when threatened, but they may lash out aggressively when cornered. Adult eastern turkey predators include great horned owls, northern goshawks, domestic dogs, cats, coyotes, wolves, bobcats, golden eagles, and alligators. Poults (poultry young) can be attacked by raptors, such as owls, hawks, and bald eagles. Wild turkey eggs and nestlings are vulnerable to raccoons, opossums, skunks, foxes, groundhogs, and snakes. The eastern turkey is the most heavily hunted subspecies of wild turkey. But they may suffer from the future effects of climate change and urbanization. They do not face any severe threats currently. The IUCN lists the eastern turkey as LC or “least concern.” Due to its extensive range and large, increasing population, this species does not meet the “threatened” status thresholds. Predators, Threats, and Conservation Status You can often find them feeding in cow pastures or visiting backyard feeders. They forage on the ground or in low bushes and small trees. And will occasionally eat amphibians, salamanders, snakes, and lizards. They also consume seeds, berries, buds, leaves, roots, grasses, and insects. These wild turkeys eat acorns and nuts from various trees like hazel, chestnut, hickory, and pine. The eastern turkey is an omnivore who forages in the early morning and late afternoon. They may move to areas with larger trees and closed canopies for increased warmth during the fall and winter. Migration Pattern and TimingĮastern turkeys are nonmigratory. These birds are relatively social, roosting in flocks and foraging with other animals like deer and squirrels. You may see them flying under the canopy, searching for a perch, or gliding low to the ground. Their gobbles can be heard from a mile away! Despite their significant size, they are fast, agile fliers. Wild turkeys are loud, vocal birds who express themselves with many sounds, from gobbles, yelps, clucks, purrs, low-pitched drumming, and “spits” (sharp expulsions of air from the air sac). Females have duller feathers in shades of brown and gray. They have long fan-shaped tails, and their feathers have bronze, gold, red, purple, and iridescent areas. These parts, along with the snood (fleshly flap on the bill), become engorged when excited. Males have large featherless, reddish heads, necks, and wattles, with fleshy growths called caruncles. Adults have black or gray-brown feathers with a coppery sheen. Females are much smaller than males, weighing eight pounds less on average. See all of our entertaining and insightful animal articles.Įastern turkeys are large upland ground birds, measuring 30 to 49 inches long and weighing 5.5 to 24 pounds, with a 4.1 to 4.9-foot wingspan. Discover the Only Two Animals the Pilgrims Brought on the Mayflower.Meet ‘Tyson’ – The Biggest Turkey Ever Recorded (as Big as a Baby Rhino).Turkey Spirit Animal Symbolism & Meaning. ![]() Look for them foraging on the ground or walking along small bushes and trees, and listen for their many vocalizations. They prefer oak-hickory, red oak, beech, cherry, and white ash in the Northeast. They live in hardwood forests with scattered openings like pastures, fields, orchards, and seasonal marshes. Its Canadian range extends into Southeastern Ontario and Southwestern Quebec. The eastern subspecies inhabits the entire eastern half of the United States from Maine to Northern Florida and as far west as Minnesota, Illinois, and Missouri. The eastern turkey lives in North America in three countries: Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
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