# Wild Turkey (*Meleagris gallopavo*)

> The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a large ground-dwelling bird native to the forests and fields of North America and the ancestor of the familiar farmyard turkey. Toms can weigh up to 8 kg and are known for their bald, colourful heads and fanned tail displays. They forage on acorns, seeds, insects, and berries, run at up to 40 km/h, and manage strong short bursts of flight. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Wild turkey native to forests of the United States and northern Mexico — reintroduced across North America.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/turkey/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Galliformes
- **Family:** Phasianidae
- **Genus:** Meleagris

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Meleagris gallopavo |
| Diet | Omnivore — acorns, seeds, insects, and berries |
| Habitat | Forests and fields of North America |
| Lifespan | 3–10 years in the wild |
| Weight | 3–8 kg (6.6–18 lb); toms larger than hens |
| Top speed | Up to 40 km/h (25 mph) running; strong short flight |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Appearance and displays

The wild turkey is a big, heavy-bodied bird with dark, iridescent feathers that gleam bronze and green in sunlight. Males, called toms or gobblers, have a bald head that can flush red, white, and blue, a fleshy snood over the bill, and a dangling wattle at the throat. In courtship a tom fans his broad tail, puffs out his body feathers, and struts while gobbling to attract hens and warn off rivals. Females, or hens, are smaller and more drably coloured for camouflage while nesting.

## Diet and foraging

Wild turkeys are omnivores that spend much of the day walking and scratching the ground for food. Acorns and other nuts, seeds, and berries form the bulk of their diet, supplemented by insects, and they will scratch through leaf litter to expose hidden morsels. Young poults rely heavily on protein-rich insects in their first weeks of life. Diet shifts with the seasons, leaning on hard mast such as acorns through autumn and winter.

## Behaviour and flocks

Wild turkeys are social birds that live in flocks for much of the year, with hens and young forming groups separate from bands of males outside the breeding season. They communicate with a wide range of calls, from the male's carrying gobble to soft yelps and clucks that keep a flock in contact. A pecking order sets which birds feed and roost in the best spots. Sharp eyesight and wariness make them surprisingly difficult to approach in the wild.

## Roosting and flight

Although wild turkeys feed on the ground and can run at up to 40 km/h, they are far from flightless. When alarmed they can burst into powerful, short flights to clear obstacles or reach safety. Each evening they fly up to roost in trees, which keeps them out of reach of ground predators through the night. At first light they glide back down to resume feeding.

## From wild bird to domestic turkey

The wild turkey is the wild ancestor of the domestic turkey raised for meat around the world. Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica domesticated turkeys long before European contact, and the domestic bird was later carried to Europe and beyond. Centuries of selective breeding produced the heavier, broad-breasted farm turkey, which looks and behaves quite differently from its lean, agile wild cousin. The wild bird remains fully capable of flight and long days of foraging that farm breeds have largely lost.

## Conservation and recovery

The wild turkey is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but it was not always secure. Overhunting and forest clearance drove wild populations to very low numbers across much of North America by the early 20th century. Reintroduction programmes, habitat protection, and regulated hunting have since restored the bird to much of its former range and beyond. It is now a common sight in woodlands and on field edges once more.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can wild turkeys fly?

Yes. Wild turkeys feed and run on the ground but are strong short-distance fliers, bursting into the air to escape danger. Each evening they fly up into trees to roost safely overnight, gliding back down at dawn.

### What do wild turkeys eat?

Wild turkeys are omnivores. Their diet is built around acorns and other nuts, seeds, and berries, along with insects, and they scratch through leaf litter to find food. Young poults depend heavily on insects for protein early in life.

### How fast can a wild turkey run?

Wild turkeys can run at up to about 40 km/h on the ground. Combined with strong short bursts of flight, this speed makes them surprisingly hard to catch despite their bulk.

### How big do wild turkeys get?

Wild turkeys weigh roughly 3 to 8 kg, with toms considerably larger than hens. They measure around 1.2 m in length, making them one of the largest ground birds in North America.

### Are wild turkeys the same as farm turkeys?

They are the same species, but not the same bird. The wild turkey is the lean, agile ancestor of the domestic turkey, which has been selectively bred for centuries into a much heavier, broad-breasted farm animal that can barely fly.

### What is the fleshy bit on a turkey's head called?

The flap of skin hanging over the bill is the snood, and the loose skin at the throat is the wattle. Both are most developed in males and can flush with bright colour during courtship displays.

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List — Meleagris gallopavo.](https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Meleagris%20gallopavo&searchType=species)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Meleagris gallopavo. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Meleagris_gallopavo/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/turkey/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.