Overview
Unlike the eastern turkey, the Merriam’s appears to be more black with iridescent hues of bronze, purple, and blue. The rump of the bird looks to be white as it has white-, pink-, or buff-colored tail tips and coverts. The males tend to be darker, with black-tipped breast feathers. In contrast, the females have buff-tipped breast feathers. The females tend to have more white feathers on their wings and, while they do not have the fleshy caruncles and other such growths around their neck, they do show more head color than females of other subspecies. The males do have red caruncles, snoods, and dewlaps around their neck and head. They also have a beard and spurs on their lower legs. About 10% of females have a beard, although it is shorter than that of the male, and if they have spurs, then these spurs are underdeveloped.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Bird
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Meleagris
- Species
- Meleagris gallopavo
Habitat
Deep snow in the north and dry conditions in the west limit access to food and water and also set limits to the wild turkey's distribution across the United States. Trees provide food, daytime resting and escape cover, and most importantly, nighttime roost sites. Grasses provide food for adults and are especially important to poults as environment in which they can forage for insects. Moisture is a direct and indirect key feature to wild turkey survival and reproduction. Nesting habitat requirements include lateral cover which are areas with a well-developed understory full of vegetation. Overhead cover are areas with a canopy layer to camouflage wild turkeys and nests from avian predators. Brood-rearing habitat requirements include an insect-rich environment for efficient foraging and habitat that permits frequent foraging throughout the day. An area that provides enough cover to hide, but allows the adult female unobstructed vision for protection from predation. Fall and winter habitat requirements inlcude food which is critical to continued growth of young and the building of fat deposits by young and adults. For roosting cover turkeys increase their use of forested cover during the fall and winter and decrease their use of open spaces in an effort to seek protection from adverse weather.
Diet
Omnivorous.
Behavior
Wild turkeys generally move a mile or two in one day depending on habitat and distance to food and water sources. The annual home range of wild turkeys varies from 370 to 1,360 acres and contains a mixture of trees and grass cover. Just like humans, turkeys talk to communicate. Their vocabulary consists of 28 distinct calls. Each sound has a general meaning and can be used for different situations. Male turkeys are notorious for their iconic gobble, which unlike other calls, is given with a fixed intensity. Roosting in trees in an important element in the life of a wild turkey. It is a life-saving technique because roosting in trees helps birds avoid ground predators. Poults begin roosting from about 14-28 days old, depending on the sub-species, location and temperature. Turkeys may use traditional roost sites night after night but they generally use different sites and move from tree to tree. Turkeys usually select the largest trees available and roost as hight in them as they can comfortably perch. In fair weather, hardwood trees are favored, while hemlocks offer good protection from harsh elements. During the fall and winter seasons, it's common for turkeys to be in the good company of their equals. You'll see grouops of jakes, old and young hens and mature gobblers all sectioned out. The different flocks allow the birds to more easily determine dominance. In the spring, mating rituals begin. Wild turkeys dust, sun and preen from a young age, about 2-4 days old. Dusting is usually a flock activity. A dust bath is part of a bird's preening and plumage maintenance that keeps feathers in top condition. Turkeys will flap frantically in the dirt to spread dust over their entire body. Doing so keeps feathers from becoming greasy or matted. Sunning and preening often follow a dust bath as part of their extensive grooming regimen. Sunning birds recline on one side and extend the upward wing and leg to expose a large surface area to direct sunlight. Birds sun for several reasons: to obtain heat as a way of regulating their body temperature, maintain feather health, dislodge feather parasites and for relaxation. Preening is a common bird behavior to keep feathers in good shape. Birds preen to remove dust, dirt and parasites from their feathers. They also align each feather in the optimum position relative to adjacent feathers and body shape.
Hunting
Hunted across its range.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.