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- Common Name: Wild Turkey
- Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo
- Date Taken: July 25, 2019
- Location: White Mountains
- Apache County, Arizona
- Photographer: Jan Fletcher
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Wild turkeys are native to North America and are found across the
United States, parts of Canada, and Mexico. They are large,
ground-dwelling birds known for their striking appearance, social
behavior, and importance in American history and culture. Wild
turkeys are large birds, with males (toms) often weighing between
11 to 24 pounds, and females (hens) weighing around 5.5 to 11
pounds. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, including forests,
grasslands, and swamps, but prefer areas with a mixture of mature
trees for roosting and open spaces for foraging. They are
omnivorous, and feed on a variety of foods such as seeds, nuts,
insects, berries, and small reptiles. They are social birds,
typically seen in flocks. They roost in trees at night to avoid
predators. Wild turkeys were once threatened by overhunting and
habitat loss, and their populations drastically declined by the
early 20th century. However, thanks to conservation efforts, habitat
restoration, and the reintroduction of turkeys to areas where they
had disappeared, their populations have rebounded. Today, wild
turkeys are found in every U.S. state except Alaska, and have even
been introduced to some areas in Europe and New Zealand.
There are five subspecies of wild turkeys in North America.
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