Now is a Good Time to Talk Turkey: Wild Turkey, That Is
Durango Herald November 14, 2004
Lisa Branner

Wild Turkeys are native to North America, and are part of the Phasianidae family, which includes partridges, quail, and grouse.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, you may be thinking about the gobbler that will grace your holiday table. But what about this domestic bird’s cousin: Meleagris gallopavo, the Wild Turkey? Wild Turkeys are fairly common in our area, and are regular visitors to the Durango Nature Center. This fall, a group of approximately fifteen Wild Turkeys was sighted at the Nature Center, highlighting how our land provides prime habitat for these captivating birds.

Wild Turkeys are native to North America, and are part of the Phasianidae family, which includes partridges, quail, and grouse. Once over-hunted almost to the point of extinction, the population of Wild Turkeys has grown from 30,000 in the early 1900s to 6.4 million today. Of the Wild Turkey’s five different subspecies, the Merriam’s, named in honor of the first chief of the U.S. Biological Survey, is the one you’ll find in southwestern Colorado.

These large, distinctive birds are hard to mistake. Males grow up to 48 inches tall, females up to 36 inches. Their feathers are medium brown in color with an iridescent sheen. An adult Turkey’s body is covered with 5,000 to 6,000 feathers! The Wild Turkey’s striking red and blue head is bare, and a red wattle of loose skin hangs from the throat. The tom, or male turkey, is boldly colored, while the hen is more drab. Males typically have a feathery beard protruding from their chests and pointed, curved spurs on their legs.

Turkeys are mainly ground feeders, and eat anything from acorns and berries to insects and small reptiles. They prefer varied habitat that includes both open fields for feeding and mating and forested areas for cover. At night, families of Turkeys roost in the trees for greater protection from predators. Small wonder that we find them at the Durango Nature Center! They thrive on its bountiful juniper berries and acorns, find nighttime shelter in forests, and have ample room to romp in its meadows.

Toms maintain a harem of up to twenty females, with whom they mate in May and June. Hens nest on the ground, in a shallow depression lined with grass and leaves. They typically lay a clutch of 10 to 12 mottled tan eggs, and incubate them for 27-28 days. Within a few days of hatching, the turkey chicks, or poults, instinctively follow the female for protection and food.

Wild Turkeys are intelligent and wary birds. They have excellent hearing and eyesight that is three times better than human eyesight. Wild Turkeys can run at speeds up to 25 miles per hour and fly at speeds up to 55 miles per hour for short distances. It’s no surprise, then, that the Wild Turkey nearly became the national bird of the United States, losing to the Bald Eagle by only one congressional vote!