Wild Turkeys: American Icon
There’s probably no critter more closely associated with Thanksgiving in the American
mind than the humble Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), a large bird native to North America. An
estimated 88% of Americans eat Turkey for Thanksgiving (I grew up in a ham family myself). In 2023, Americans ate approximately 5 billion pounds of Turkey meat, with 4.8 billion of that being produced domestically on farms.
It’s likely that the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the colonists at Plymouth featured
game such as deer and waterfowl like geese at least as prominently, yet the Turkey has become the Thanksgiving icon. Recipes abound, trends such as the turducken and fried turkeys come
and go, and every year the President of the United States pardons one or two (for the crime
of…deliciousness one supposes). There’s much more to this majestic, wily, and resilient bird
than lean protein and handprint art.
Wild Turkey tom and hens, Fort Niobrara NWR
Photo Credit: Brandon Jones, USFWS
flickr.com
Strutting their stuff
The Wild Turkey is a member of the order Galliformes, a family of heavy ground-feeding birds such as chickens and quail. In their wild habitats they are important seed dispersers. Birds of this group were likely the main survivors of there Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction
event that occurred after a massive asteroid struck the earth near what is now the Yucatan
Peninsula. There is one other species of turkey, the Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata) which
struts, hunts, and lives in the dense forests of the peninsula.
Contrary to popular belief, Turkeys are in fact capable of flying quickly and with agility. Their wings are rather small compared to their body size but they prefer to use their long legs to run away from threats. Young turkeys (called poults) use their wings and legs to scramble out of harm’s way before they’re capable of flight. Adult Turkeys roost in trees overnight an
often get there by flying.
Turkey Hen roosting in a tree
Photo Credit: Daniel Johnson
flickr.com
Both species of turkeys live primarily in hardwood forests with abundant clearings. Their preferred food is hard mast (acorns, pecans, hickory, and other such hard fruits) but they will eat soft fruits, seeds, worms, insects, and small vertebrates when available.
Have you ever noticed how in some years it seems like you barely see acorns and pecans, and some years every footstep is crunchy with them? Trees have a way of
synchronizing production of such fruits called masting. The mechanics of it remain unclear,
whether environmental factors trigger mast years or trees operate on a cycle. What is known is
that this reproductive technique is one of the heartbeats of our continent.
In years of abundant masts, mast-eaters like turkeys (and squirrels and Woodpeckers and Chipmunks and Blue Jays and so on) stuff themselves silly, caching more nuts than they can ever hope to eat The forgotten nuts go on to sprout and become new trees. In years of scarcity, populations again
cycle downward while the trees recover.
Aggressive logging and habitat fragmentation and degradation reduced Wild Turkey numbers in Louisiana to only 14 isolated flocks with less than 1,500 individual birds after World War II. Starting in 1962, the Wild Turkey Federation and LDWF began working with private landowners to restore the Turkey to suitable habitats. At present, nearly all suitable habitat is occupied with birds and numbers remain steady in all parishes.
Approximately 70% of potential Turkey habitat in Louisiana is privately owned, and landowners can easily manage for Turkeys and coexist with them. Writing in 2005, LDWF wildlife biologist Larry Savage said: “I recently attended a wedding in Boston, and one of the wedding guests told me about
how turkeys there are such a nuisance. This guy lives in the city of Boston, and he has wild
turkeys roaming around his yard. All you have to do is look around up there, and if land doesn’t
have a house on it, there are beautiful forests. That’s the way it used to be here.”
Turkeys need a lot of room to roam on those long legs, sometimes traveling up to 5 miles a day as they forage. Hens nest in spring in edge habitats, foraging in open grassy areas where they and their poults can easily retreat to cover when threatened. Poults can forage and move more easily in shorter grass but need a variety of plant heights for diversity of insect life (protein-rich insects are the building block of a healthy bird breakfast). Landowners interested in managing for Turkeys, whether for hunting or just for fun can contact LDWF for possible restocking.
Turkey Tales
Turkey Hen (left) and Tom (Right)
Photo Credit: Tambako the Jaguar
flickr.com
Turkeys have been part of the American diet for thousands of years, long predating the Pilgrims or Columbus. Turkeys were first domesticated in the Southwest; archaeological remains of Turkeys dated to around 900CE show a diet almost exclusively of corn, indicating these were domesticated birds kept by humans.
Turkeys were prized for their feathers; the soft down made warm blankets, their flight feathers made excellent arrow fletching. In the Chaco Canyon Society of the Southwest, Turkeys were so highly-prized they were almost never eaten until the climate-driven collapse of their civilization in the 14th century. Mary Weakhee, archaeologist for the Museum of New Mexico and a member of the Santa Clara Pueblo and Comanche Nation says people would have likely “rather eat their dogs than their turkey.”
The humble Turkey has been part of the fabric of our country since its inception. While Ben Franklin never actually called for the Turkey to be our national bird, he did have some criticisms of the Bald Eagle being used as a crest by the fraternal Society of the Cincinnati. In a letter to his daughter Sarah Bache, he called the eagle “…a Bird of bad moral Character.” He
goes on to laud the Turkey:
“For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a
true original Native of America… He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.“
This holiday season, as we settle down with friends and family to celebrate the harvests of our labors this year, spare a moment to reflect on the animals that grace our tables blankets, and other artifacts of human life. Without them, where would we be? When you’re giving thanks for your home, your loved ones, your jobs, consider going a shout out to the
Turkey, a true Bird of Courage.
Authored by Cam Russell
Sources:
https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/turkey-research-and-management
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_turkey
https://www.bbg.org/article/the_mysteries_of_masting_in_trees
https://www.audubon.org/news/native-americans-domesticated-turkeys-long-pilgrims-arrived
Turkey Hen (left) and Tom (Right)
Photo Credit: Tambako the Jaguar
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tambako/2643137892
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/american-myths-benjamin-franklins-turkey-andthe-presidential-seal-6623414
