During the early winter of 1999, several wild turkeys were seen by Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Brooks near the northern part of the Hackett Hill property. Wild turkeys do not exhibit migratory behavior, so presumably these birds will be present during all seasons of the year.
By the early-mid 1900s, over-hunting and forest clearing had caused wild turkeys to become extremely rare in the U.S. Currently, as a result of state restoration programs, there are 4 million of these birds throughout the country. About 15,000 wild turkeys may now be found in New Hampshire.
Wild turkeys prefer forested land and swamps, but behave like racoons and live near civilization. In summer they eat insects and various types of plant food such as berries, grapes, grasses, grains and ferns. In winter, their food supplies become very limited.They forage for corn wastage near farms and may even seek out sunflower seeds from suburban bird feeders. Crabapples, which remain on trees throughout the winter, help the turkeys survive.
Male and female turkeys are very different in appearance. Male turkeys (gobblers or toms) may be up to 48 inches in length and range from 18-22 pounds in size, while females (hens) may be up to 36 inches long and range from 8-12 pounds. The plumage of the male is much brighter, having a greenish-bronze hue, whereas feathers of the female are a dull brown. The male turkey also has a "beard" or wattles, and spurs on his legs.
Mating occurs in the spring. At this time, the head of the male turkey turns red, white and blue. When he sees a hen, he tries to attract her by spreading his tail feathers like a fan, strutting, and making gobbling sounds. The female turkey lays her eggs in shallow depressions in the ground and incubates the eggs for about 4 weeks. The newly-hatched young follow their mother around for protection and food.
Wild turkeys are extremely fast runners (12 mph)
and can fly about 400 feet at speeds up to 55 mph. At night they
roost in trees in order to escape predators.
Credits: The photograph of the male Wild Turkey appears
on the
About.com
website on the Wild Turkey page.BACK
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