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Wildlife
- Birds - |
Wild Turkey
(Meleagris gallopavo) Y |
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RANGE: Resident locally from central Arizona and central
Colorado to northern Iowa, central Michigan, southern New
Hampshire, and southwestern Maine south to southern Texas, the
Gulf Coast, and Florida. Has been reintroduced into much of its
former range, and successfully introduced locally in nearly all
states outside the historic range.
STATUS: Locally fairly common.
HABITAT: Inhabits a wide range of forest types from the wooded
swamps of the eastern and southeastern states to the sparsely
wooded flatlands and river bottoms of the southern Great Plains
and coniferous forests of the western mountains. In the East,
prefers open, mature hardwood forests containing mast-bearing
trees such as oaks; in the Southwest, prefers more arid,
grass-dominated habitats having open- topped roosting trees,
water, and succulent vegetation. In the West, most often
associates with ponderosa or montane forests, scrub oaks, and
junipers at altitudes of 6,000 to 12,000 feet.
SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Mast-producing woodlands with
forest openings or clearings, large dense conifers or hardwoods
for roosting, and water. Strongest nesting habitat
association in (1) Siskiyou Mtns. mixed deciduous forest, (2)
white oak forest, and (3) South Coast mixed forest.
NEST: Nests in a slight depression on dry ground, usually in
dead leaves at the base of a tree, beneath a bush, or under a
log. Generally nests close to strutting grounds and near water.
In western mountains, it usually nests on north-facing slopes
from 7,000 to 9,500 feet in elevation.
FOOD: Diet is 90 percent plant foods, including mast of oaks,
beeches, and pines; fruits; seeds and grains; and greens of
grasses and forbs. Also eats roots, tubers, and insects,
especially grasshoppers and walking sticks.
REFERENCES: Adamus et al. 2001, Boeker and Scott 1969, DeGraff
et al. 1980, Hillestad 1973, Johnsgard 1975a, Korschgen 1967,
Ligon 1946, Lindzey 1967, Markley 1967, Miller 1999, Shunk 2004. |
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