Month 11 · November · Wave 1

Wild Turkey

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

A conservation success — restored across much of its historic range.

At a glance

Size: 43–45 in (males larger)
Wingspan: 49–57 in
Habitat: Open woods, field edges, farm country
Diet: Acorns, seeds, berries, insects

Range: Much of the U.S. and parts of southern Canada after restoration

Nesting: Ground nest scrape hidden in vegetation; large clutch of eggs.

Coloring pose idea: Tom displaying with fanned tail

Hear this bird

General call / song: Gobble (males), clucks, putts, and yelps in a rich vocabulary.

Mating / display: Pair / courtship recordings are linked below when Audubon labels them. Original note — Loud gobble of the tom; hens answer with yelps; strutting display with fanned tail.

Buttons open trusted public pages with playable recordings. We link out — we do not host or embed the audio.

Play calls on All About Birds Species overview Audubon field guide Mating / courtship calls

How to know it

Huge dark bird with iridescent body feathers; bare head and neck.
Male (tom): beard on chest, spurs, fanable coppery-bronze tail.
Female smaller, duller; flocks often mixed hens and young in fall.

Behavior

Roosts in trees at night despite size.
Strong short-distance fliers when flushed.
Social flocks in fall and winter; spring gobbling season is dramatic.

Fun facts

Can run surprisingly fast on the ground.
Populations crashed historically then rebounded via trap-and-transfer.
One of North America’s largest upland gamebirds.

Companion page for the Birds Coloring Calendar series by R. J. D. B. Fact summaries are original educational text. Call playback via link to All About Birds / Cornell Lab. Re-test QR codes on a phone before final print. Not affiliated with Cornell Lab or Audubon.

← All species · https://birds-rjdb.pages.dev/species/wild-turkey