by James L. Cummins
Although native to North America, the wild turkey got its name from trade routes during the 16th century. The major route from the Americas and Asia required a stop in Constantinople, Turkey, before continuing to Britain. The British came to associate the bird with that country, and the name stuck.
Wild turkeys are very large, plump birds with long legs, wide, rounded tails, and a small head on a long, slim neck. Adult wild turkeys have long, reddish yellow to grayish-green legs. Their feathers are typically blackish and dark brown with a coppery sheen that is more complex in adult males.
Adult males, called toms or gobblers, have a large, featherless, reddish head, red throat, and red wattles on the throat and neck. The head of the adult male has fleshy growths called caruncles. The juvenile males, called jakes, differ from the adult in that the jake has a very short beard, and his tail fan has longer feathers in the middle; whereas, the adult male’s tail fan consists of feathers of equal length.
When the male becomes excited, a fleshy flap on the bill (called a snood) expands and, along with the wattles and bare skin of the head and neck, becomes engorged with blood to the point of almost completely concealing the eyes and bill. A further indication of the male’s excitement is the color of its head. When excited, it turns blue; when angered, it turns red. The feet of the wild turkey have three toes in front, with a shorter, rear-facing toe in back. Males also have a spur behind each of its lower legs.
The male is substantially larger than the female with feathers of red, green, copper, purple, bronze, and gold iridescence; whereas, the females, called hens, have feathers that are duller in nature in shades of brown and gray. Parasites can dull the coloration of both sexes; therefore, the vibrancy of their color may be an indication of overall health. Turkeys have 5,000 to 6,000 feathers including primary wing feathers of white bands.
The adult male normally weighs between 11 and 25 pounds and measures anywhere from 40 to 50 inches in length. The adult female is generally much smaller and weighs between 5 and 15 pounds and measures 30 to 40 inches in length.
Wild turkeys are agile fliers. In ideal habitat, the wild turkey can be seen flying beneath the canopy top to find perches. They usually fly close to the ground for no more than a quarter mile but are capable of flying at a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour.
Wild turkeys prefer hardwood and mixed conifer-hardwood forests with scattered openings such as fields, pastures, seasonal marshes, and orchards. They adapt easily to any dense native plant community as long as coverage and openings are readily available.
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a nonprofit conservation organization founded to conserve, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their website is www.wildlifemiss.org.
