Wild Turkey

Wild Turkeys are the largest birds nesting in Tennessee.  Once believed to be denizens of deep woods, these wary birds are very adaptable and are now found in most landscapes of Tennessee, from the forested Appalachian Mountains in the east to the farmland and river bottoms of the west. They are even becoming frequent residents of suburban and exurban neighborhoods.

Range

The historic range of Wild Turkeys extended from southern Canada throughout most of the contiguous United States to central Mexico. There are five subspecies of wild turkey:

·  Florida (or Osceola) – found only in the Florida peninsula

·  Eastern – most abundant and widely distributed, generally occurring east of the Mississippi River and in some Northwestern states where they have been introduced; the eastern subspecies occurs in Tennessee

·  Rio Grande – originally found in the dry, western regions of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and northeastern Mexico, but have now been introduced into several western states as well

·  Merriam’s – populate the Rocky Mountain regions of the West

·  Gould’s – only found in the “sky island” mountain areas of Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.

Historically, Wild Turkeys were a very important food item for Native Americans and early settlers, but by the early 1900s, over-hunting and land clearing associated with settlement eliminated this species from most of its range, including much of Tennessee.  Modern wildlife management has reestablished this bird throughout its historic range and in 49 of the 50 United States, plus several Canadian provinces and New Zealand.

Description

Wild Turkeys are tall, big-bodied upland game birds in the Phasianidae family (pheasants and grouse).  They have long legs and long necks with unfeathered heads.  With short, round wings they are capable of flying short distances and although they spend most of their daylight hours roaming in search of food on the ground, they roost in trees at night.  Males are larger than females and have leg spurs.  Most males and some females have a tuft of modified feathers on the chest called a beard.  Males have dark plumage with bronze-green iridescence on the breast and back.  Females are dark brown with a coppery sheen on the rump and wing coverts.  White barring is prominent on wing flight feathers.

Length: Male 46", Female 37"

Wingspan: Male 58", Female 50"

Weight: Male 17-21 lbs., Female 8-11 lbs.

Voice: Males are known for their unique “gobbling” call, a fast, descending gobble-gobble-gobble, made predominantly during the spring breeding season.  Males and females make several other calls, including a 4-8 note yelp; a short, staccato cluck; a soft, rolling purr; and a loud, sharp high-pitched tuk or putt, similar to a chipmunk.

Similar Species: Domestic “heritage” breed turkeys can look similar but have a white/buff-colored tip to the tail (similar to some of the western U.S. subspecies).

Habitat: Mature woodlands and wooded swamps with scattered openings or fields.

Diet: As dietary “generalists,” Wild Turkeys eat a wide variety of food items, including acorns, nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, buds, leafy vegetation, fern fronds, salamanders.  Young consume large amounts of insects for the first several weeks after hatching to fuel their rapid growth.

Nesting and reproduction: Males begin vying for females starting in late winter or early spring and attract females by gobbling.  When the female appears, he puffs up his contour feathers, fans out his tail feathers and struts around her while dragging his wing tips on the ground in a courtship display called strutting.  Dominant males will mate with several females in one season, but the female alone builds the nest and cares for the young (called poults).  If a first nesting attempt fails, females will often renest (up to 3 or 4 times in some rare cases).  Females will typically raise only one brood of young per year.

Nest: The nest is a simple depression on the ground lined with dead leaves or grass, usually placed at the base of a tree or bush and concealed in thick vegetation.

Clutch Size: Ranges from 7 to 14 eggs with an average of 11 eggs.

Incubation: The female incubates the eggs for 27 to 28 days.

Fledging: The precocial young leave the nest shortly after hatching and follow the female to preferred brooding areas. Good brooding cover consists of low-growing green plants the female can see over but that provide overhead cover for concealment of the poults and plenty of insects to eat. Poults begin to fly at 8 to 10 days old. Male poults (called jakes) remain with the female until the fall; female poults remain with the female until the spring.

Status in Tennessee: Wild Turkeys are common permanent residents throughout the state.  By the early 1900s, populations had crashed due to unrestricted hunting, land clearing, and the loss of the American Chestnut, which was an important food source.  As a result of reintroduction efforts by TWRA and conservation groups, Wild Turkeys are now found in every county in the state. Winter flocks in Tennessee may exceed 400 individuals.

HELP KEEP WILD TURKEYS WILD!

Most people enjoy observing wildlife, including wild turkeys, and what better way to see them often than to provide food to attract them to your neighborhood?  While this might seem reasonable, what seems like a harmless (or even helpful) practice is not helpful to the turkeys and usually becomes a problem, and can even become a public safety threat—if not for you, then for a neighbor.

Please Do Not Feed Wild Turkeys

Turkeys are opportunistic foragers with a very generalist diet—there’s not much that they don’t eat.  So, it is extremely rare that they cannot find enough to eat on their own.  Of course, what turkey wouldn’t pass up an easy quick meal from a bird feeder or corn pile?  But such food sources can actually be detrimental to the overall health of a turkey population and can lead to unpleasant outcomes for people in the area.

What’s the Harm of Feeding Turkeys?

Turkeys are supposed to move widely and cover large land areas while foraging throughout the day.  While feeding turkeys in residential areas, whether directly or indirectly, seems like it is helpful, repeatedly congregating turkeys in the same area leads to a build-up of droppings and unnaturally increases contact between groups of turkeys.  Such conditions produce the perfect environment for disease outbreaks and the spread of disease through a population. Further, feed that is not cleaned up regularly can spoil and mold, which leads to the production of toxic chemicals extremely harmful when ingested by turkeys.

Another problem with feeding turkeys in residential areas is that as turkeys get accustomed to being fed and seeing people, they habituate to people and lose their natural fear of humans.  For a while, this may seem wonderful because people are able to watch turkey behavior up close, even from the comfort of their own homes at times.  However, having turkeys hanging around neighborhoods eventually leads to issues with turkeys scratching up flower beds, pecking cars, and leaving droppings on driveways, sidewalks, yards, and porches.  Turkeys disrupt and block the flow of traffic when they congregate in roadways and intersections.  They have even been known to roost on roofs or pool patio screens.

Turkeys Can Become Aggressive

While much of turkey nuisance behavior is relatively benign, over time turkeys begin to show bold and aggressive behavior towards people—particularly children, women, the elderly, and anybody who acts fearful and timid.  These turkeys react to people (and sometimes pets) as they would a rival turkey.  Once this bold behavior is established, it can be very difficult to change.   

The best way to prevent turkeys from becoming too used to people and turning aggressive is simply to not feed them and don’t let them become accustomed to living in and around people.

What Should You Do?

Remember to be bold with offending turkeys:  don’t let them intimidate you.  Turkeys that repeatedly challenge or attack people may ultimately have to be destroyed.  Keep turkeys wild to avoid these consequences.  It is rarely an option to trap and relocate nuisance turkeys that have developed these behaviors.

If you encounter wild turkeys that 1) do not move to avoid people, 2) approach people, pets, or vehicles, or 3) remain in yards or common areas loafing, TWRA recommends aggressive hazing to frighten turkeys out of these areas. 

Actions you can take to frighten turkeys include chasing them (without making physical contact) while doing any of the following:

• Waving your arms or clapping your hands and yelling at them
• Making loud noises with an air horn or banging pots and pans together
• Waving or swatting at them with a broom
• Opening and closing a large umbrella while facing them
• Spraying them with a strong jet from a water hose
• Allowing a large dog on a leash to run and bark at them