Wild Turkey

The Meleagris gallopavo or most commonly known as, the Wild Turkey, is a very large bird. Ranging on the larger side of the scale along with geese and other large birds. Wild Turkey are large round birds with long legs, wide, rounded tails, and a small head on a long, slim neck. The females don't really differ from their male counterparts, the only difference being a much darker color of plumage and having more feathers on their necks. They average about  43.3-45.3 in. in length, 5.5-23.8 lbs in weight, and  49.2-56.7 in. in wingspan. Because these birds were widely domesticated and then recently released into the wild, they don't really migrate during the year. Usually staying where they are and foraging for food in all parts of their woodsy habitats. Usually eating nuts, berries and insects, turkeys will also resort to eating sedges, grass like flowers and very large insects and sometimes even salamanders. Despite the myth saying that turkeys can't fly, turkeys acutally can fly, just not as well or as long as other types of flying birds. They do need to fly in order to roost on tree branches. Luckily, wild turkeys are of the least concern, having a breeding population of 7.8 million.