Detailed information on Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

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dvcmck

white oak, PA (Zone 6b) | August 2017 | Positive

My wife and I once watched a male wild turkey displaying and fighting with his reflection in a glass building on the Pitt campus. They are plentiful even in the city. I live in the burbs and they eat the spilled food from our bird feeders. I have raised veg and herb beds and lots of flowers and haven't had any damage from them so far.

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coriaceous

ROSLINDALE, MA | June 2016 | Neutral

In the last 20 years, wild turkeys have become a common sight here in Boston. Walking down streets and sidewalks, they sometimes cause traffic jams. Yesterday I saw a female sitting on a nest under a shrub in a friend's yard. I wouldn't have thought they could become common urban creatures, but they seem to coexist fairly well with people at rather close quarters.

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glover420

Powder Springs, GA | May 2016 | Positive

I live on 6 acres that backs up to a wooded area. I see the wild turkey most evenings. I love hearing the sound the turkey makes when the bird is in the woods.

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AFinSD

San Diego, CA | May 2016 | Positive

My spouse and I have seen this bird at various nature areas in San Diego.

One sighting in particular was at Mount Cuyamaca. We spotted as we were pulling in to the parking lot. It was pretty cool.

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leaningoaks

West Wareham, MA | February 2014 | Positive

I live on cape cod and last spring this bunch of about 30 turkeys strolled through. They ate my birdseed so I now invest in whole corn. They squabble and play with the cat. The cat chases them and they chase the cat. Makes for some cool videos. They have become so comfortable they come when I shake the corn bucket...
They'll disappear for weeks on end but always come back. They do make a mess but its no problem. Funny watching the cat step in it. They haven't wrecked any of my gardens 'yet'.

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MNWildflower

Kasota, MN (Zone 4a) | May 2013 | Positive

I love watching the turkeys that come to eat the bird seed under our bird feeders. By the end of winter they did leave a bald spot in the lawn where the feeders are, but I consider it a good trade-off for entertaining me with their "clucking" & the displays the males put on (when they puff out their feathers). They have never bothered my gardens & my father in-law swears they ate all the bugs off his squash last year!

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ozarker

Corpus Christi, TX | June 2011 | Positive

I love to watch these turkeys. Locally, we have the "Rio Grande" wild turkey. It is a rather small turkey. They do have regular hunting season for them here. I have never eaten one. They search for food along the roadside ditches and in our pastures. If they were in my flower beds, I probably would not enjoy watching them so much!

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betsyah

Rogue River, OR (Zone 8a) | March 2011 | Negative

I agree that they can be beautiful (as long as you don't look at their heads) but they are dirty, messy and very destructive. we have them come in our yard often - from a few to 50 or more. Not only that but they are not good to eat. bleck.

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WVKim

Petersburg, WV | December 2009 | Positive

Turkey's are a natural wildlife animal in my area. They are beautiful to watch and when they spread thier tail out, what a show! Mostly in my area they are hunted for food.
My son loves to find them in a field as we drive and most often I stop so he can watch them.
I do agree that I do not want them in my yard because they do scratch most of the grass out while looking for bugs that can destroy my flowers!
For that reason I will give them a positive!

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albyneau

Lower Lake, CA | December 2009 | Negative

These foul fowls can be very destructive! I had a small flock come thru and eat over an acre's worth of garden seeds/sprouts~ including cornstalk sprouts. My posted pic shows a small portion of a herd (not flock) of them come thru my yard two years ago~ numbering in the HUNDREDS. If they tasted better I'd eat all the little buggers....

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Joan

Belfield, ND (Zone 4a) | December 2008 | Neutral

One of the largest birds found in North America. It's a beautiful bird, and I won't give it a negative, but I can't give it a positive either. They can be somewhat destructive to haystacks and lawns as they scratch around for food.

Their body is dark brownish gray with a black and green sheen. They have small unfeathered heads and necks that look too small for their large bodies. The male's head is bluish-red.

Wild Turkey

Meleagris gallopavo

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