Hear a story about a wild turkey.
Hear a wild turkey.
America's Bird
Hear how the turkey got its name.

from The Birds of Texas
by John L. Tveten

The largest game bird in North America is slightly smaller and more slender than the domesticated turkey derived from it. The dark-plumaged, iridescent tom is up to four feet long, with white barring on its flight feathers and a blackish "beard" protruding from its breast. Fleshy red wattles adorn the bare blue-and-pink head. The smaller, duller hen often lacks the breast tuft of the male.

Residents of open woodlands, turkeys forage on the ground for nuts, acorns, seeds and insects. They usually run rather than fly from danger, moving rapidly on long, powerful legs. However, they often fly up to roost in the trees at night. The female makes her nest in a shallow depression on the ground, laying an egg a day until she reaches a clutch of 8 to 15. She incubates the eggs for about four weeks. The chicks grow rapidly and can make short flights within two weeks. The brood remains together through the winter, often joining other hens and their chicks in a larger flock.

A close-up look at a wild turkey beard. Males turkeys have a beard, but females occasionally have one, too.
© TPWD, Photo by Earl Nottingham.

The wild turkey was introduced to Europe from its native America about 1530, when the conquistadors brought some back to Spain. Within a decade, the "turkie-fowle" graced British royal tables. According to Edward Gruson, "turkey" was a vague term used to describe foreign imports that were strange and exotic, especially from Tartary and Asia Minor. The American turkey was apparently confused with the African guineafowl, which had come to Europe via the Turkish Empire, and both were called "turkey." Early English dictionaries, as well as those in other European languages, often mixed the words for turkey, guineafowl and peafowl. Thus this strictly North American bird still bears an alien name.

Turkeys reputedly were part of the first Thanksgiving dinner, and they were hunted relentlessly for food throughout the East. Overshooting and the clearing of woodlands habitats took their inevitable toll, but more recent reintroductions have established turkeys again in most eastern states and throughout much of the West.

Three subspecies of wild turkey inhabit Texas: the Eastern, the Rio Grande and the Merriam. Of these, the Rio Grande is the most abundant and can be found in South Texas, the Edward's Plateau and the Panhandle. The Eastern wild turkey lives in the forested regions of East Texas while the Merriam occurs in the mountainous regions of West Texas.

Excerpts from The Birds of Texas by John L. Tveten with permission from Shearer Publishing, Inc.

More Bird Facts The wild turkey is the largest game bird in North America. There are six distinct subspecies in North America. Turkeys are related to pheasants, grouse and quail. They are chickenlike, ground-dwelling birds that posses short, strong bills. They roost in trees and on power lines, but nest on the ground. Turkeys have iridescent feathers with white barring on the flight feathers. Tail feathers vary by subspecies and may be chesnut brown, black, buff and/or white. The beard is located on the chest and is made of small feathers, not hair. The male expands its breast and displays its tail feathers during courtship.

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