Nashville Outdoors

"Just twenty years ago, you'd be hard pressed to even see a wild turkey in Middle Tennessee! Thanks to turkey hunters, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Wild Turkey Federation, they are quite abundant now."

Scientific Name -
Meleagris gallopavo

RANGE - North America, Central America & Southern Canada

LIFESPAN - 2 to 4 years

DIET - Variety of seeds,seeds, berries, roots and insects

LENGTH -Avg. 3.5 ft.

WEIGHT - Avg. 8 to 18 lbs. (record 30 lbs.)

WINGSPAN - Avg. 4.8 ft.

STATUS - Doing Better

PROTECTION - Managed

This letter to Benjamin Franklin's daughter was written after congress spent six years choosing the eagle as the emblem of the newly formed country.
“For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him. With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country... I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”
While Franklin's disapproval with the choice of the Bald Eagles was evident, it was not apparent that he ever officially advocated for the turkey.

The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is one of two turkey species, the other being the Ocellated Turkey found in Central and South America. Adult Wild Turkeys have a small, featherless, bluish head; males have a red throat; long reddish-orange to greyish-blue legs; and a dark-brown or black body. The head has fleshy growths called caruncles; when turkeys get excited, the fleshy flap on the bill expands, becoming engorged with blood. Males have red wattles on the throat and neck. Each foot has four toes, and the males have rear spurs on their lower legs. Turkeys have a long, dark, fan-shaped tail with shiny bronze wings. As with many other species the male is larger than the female, and his feathers have areas of red, green, copper, bronze, and gold. Female feathers are duller shades of brown & gray. Turkeys have between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers. Males have a "beard" consisting of modified feathers that hang down from the breast. Beards average 9 to 10 inches in length. In some populations, 10 to 20 percent of the females can have a beard, usually shorter and thinner than the male beard. The average weight of the adult male is 18 lb and the adult female is 8 lb. The average length is 3.5 ft and the average wingspan is 4.8 ft. The record-size for adult male wild turkey was 30 lbs.
Turkeys are surprisingly agile fliers and can reach a speed of 50 miles per hour!  They usually fly close to the ground for less than a quarter mile. Turkeys have many vocal calls, including "gobbles," "yelps," "clucks," "putts," "purrs,"  "cutts," and "cackles". In spring, male turkeys,  gobble to announce their presence to females and competing males. The gobble can be heard for up to a mile away. When mating, turkeys move to areas that provide visiblity, such as open woods, fields, pastures, shrubby growth, and even quiet roads, using their excellent eyesight to spot danger. Hens nest on the ground at the base of a tree or bush, or in tall grass. At night they roost in trees. Wild Turkeys do not migrate. Reintroduction programs across the United States have been very successful. Especially here in Tennessee. You couldn't see them 20 years ago, and now they are much more visible. Wild Turkeys are omnivores, foraging on the ground for  acorns and nuts of various trees, including hazel, oak, chestnut, hickory, and pine as well as various seeds, berries, roots and insects. Turkeys are also known to consume small vertebrates like snakes, frogs and salamanders. Around 80% of a turkey's diet is made up of a variety of grasses. Early morning and late afternoon are the preferd times for eating.
Males are polygamous, forming territories that may have 5 or more hens within them. Male turkeys will "strut"  during the mating season for females by puffing up their feathers, spreading out their tails and dragging their wings on the ground. Their heads and necks are brilliantly colored with red, blue and white and the color can change depending on the turkeys mood. A solid white head and neck appears when they are most excited. Courtship begins during March and April. When mating has finished, females search for nesting sites. Hens lay a clutch of 10-14 eggs, usually one per day. The eggs are then incubated for at least 28 days. The poults are precocial and leave the nest in about 12-24 hours to feed. The population of the Wild Turkey had severly decreased by the beginning of the 20th century due to hunting and habitat reduction. Authoreties estimate that the entire populations of Wild Turkeys in the U.S.A was as low as 30,000 in the early 1900s. Game officials made efforts to protect and encourage the breeding of the surviving wild population.