Wild Turkey Fun Facts

Turkeys can run at speeds up to 25 mph and can fly up to 55 mph.

Wild turkey fun facts. But restoration programs across north america have brought the. The birds heads can be red pink white or blue. Eastern osceola rio grande merriam s gould s and south mexican. 4 there are approximately 5 500 feathers on an adult wild turkey including 18 tail feathers that make up the male s distinct fan.

In the wild turkeys range from 5 20 pounds. Wild turkeys can fly for short distances at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour and can run 20 miles per hour. Wild turkeys can fly at up to 60 miles per hour. A turkey s gender can be determined from its droppings a male s will be shaped like the letter j a female s more spiral shaped.

The wattle is a skin flap reaching from the beak to the neck. 2 the wild turkey was hunted nearly to extinction by the early 1900s when the population reached a low of around 30 000 birds. Domestic birds bred for food only live a few months until they are the appropriate size for commercial slaughter though breeding pairs may be kept several years. In the early 1900s wild turkeys were on the brink of extinction with only 200 000 birds left.

They have excellent vision seeing three times more clearly than 20 20. Turkeys also cluck and purr. Hen turkeys lay a clutch of 10 to 12 eggs over a 10 to 14 day period usually laying one egg per day. The wild turkey s bald head can change color in seconds with excitement or emotion.

There are six distinct subspecies of wild turkeys. 5 hens don t carry a clutch but they do lay them. Don t worry though through conservation efforts there are now approximately 6 5 million wild turkey in the united states today. A newly hatched flock must be ready to.

Turkeys can also see in color and have a 270 degree field of vision. Caruncles are bumps of flesh that cover the birds necks and heads. Domestic turkeys are specially bred to be heavier and could weigh twice as much as their wild cousins depending on their age when they are harvested. A baby turkey is called a poult and is tan and brown.

The average lifespan of a wild turkey is 3 5 years and the oldest known wild turkey lived to be at least 13 years old. Eggs are incubated for about 28 days occasionally turning and rearranging them until they are ready to hatch. Turkeys have great hearing but no external. Male turkeys toms gobble but hens do not.

One good place to see it is tikal national park in guatemala. They make a clicking noise instead. Enough with gobble gobble. The wild turkey s closest relative is the ocellated turkey a spectacular bird found only in southeastern mexico belize and northern guatemala.

6 how fast can a turkey run. A wild turkey shows its wattle and caruncles at parker river national wildlife refuge in massachusetts. Domesticated turkeys cannot fly.