Turkey (bird) - biology.

Turkey (bird) - biology. I INTRODUCTION Turkey (bird), common name for a large ground-living bird native to North America. Best known for its raised tail feather display and gobbling call, the wild turkey is hunted as a game bird and is the ancestor of the heavier domestic turkey raised for meat. The wild turkey has been reintroduced in many parts of the United States after nearly disappearing from overhunting and habitat loss. II HABITAT AND RANGE The wild turkey mainly lives in forested areas and marshlands, and it is native to northern Mexico and the eastern United States. Overhunting and habitat loss greatly reduced its numbers in many regions of the United States by 1900. Efforts to restore the wild turkey population began in the 1930s, but introducing turkeys raised in pens back into the wild was not very successful. The birds lacked needed survival skills. A more effective approach was to capture members of existing wild populations and relocate them to other areas. Wild turkeys are now found in all states except Alaska. They have also been introduced as game birds in New Zealand and Germany. III PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION Males (called gobblers or toms) are larger than females (called hens). In adult wild turkeys the head and neck are essentially naked, the feathers being reduced to hairlike bristles. The heads of males can be red, blue, or white according to the season. The male has a long fleshy growth called a snood at the base of the bill and wattles on the neck, as well as a prominent red-pink growth on the head called a carbuncle. The heads of females are grayish, with some feathers on the neck. The birds have buff-colored feathers on the tips of the wings and on the tail. Males are more colorful and ornamented than females. The ocellated turkey is a separate species native to the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and adjacent Guatemala and Belize. The tail feathers have green-blue eyespots and an iridescent purple appearance. The body feathers have a metallic golden, bronze-green sheen. The skin of the head and neck is blue and covered with red, wartlike growths. IV BEHAVIOR Wild turkeys are active during the day time and spend most of their time on the ground. They are swift runners, reaching 32 km/h (20 mph), and can fly at low altitude for distances under a mile at speeds up to 88.5 km/h (50 mph), getting air-borne with hops and leaps. They roost in trees at night. They do not migrate and may form larger social groups in the winter (winter flocks), sometimes defending territories against other bands of turkeys. They disperse into smaller groups in the spring. Wild turkeys eat a wide variety of plant material in season such as acorns, nuts, seeds, grains, fruit, leaves, roots, tubers, buds, and fern fronds. A smaller part of their diet is made up of insects, worms, snails, and even small salamanders. They mainly forage for a few hours after dawn and before dusk. Many types of animals eat wild turkey eggs, including raccoons, skunks, snakes, and other birds. Adult and young turkeys are prey for coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, and large eagles and owls. V REPRODUCTION During the breeding season in the early spring, male wild turkeys establish territories and try to collect a group of four to six hens to mate with. The males put on elaborate strutting displays. They raise their tail feathers in a vertical fan and drag their wing-tips on the ground. They vocalize, making a loud "gobbling" that can be heard up to a mile away. They will also fight with other males, using curved spurs on their lower legs. The hens build nests from dried leaves and grasses in concealed places on the ground. They lay from 8 to 18 creamy white eggs with red-brown speckles in a clutch (group) and incubate them for 25 to 31 days. When the chicks (or poults) hatch, they can walk and follow their mothers for protection. The male poults leave their mothers in the fall. Female poults will stay with their mothers until the following spring. The adult male takes no part in raising the young. VI DOMESTICATION Peoples in Mexico domesticated the local wild turkey as early as 2,500 years ago. The bird was important to the Aztecs as a source of food and feathers. When the Spanish conquered the region in the 16th century, they brought the turkey back to Europe. The large bird quickly became a welcome addition to other types of domestic poultry. The English name "turkey" is said to come from the name of the country Turkey, supposedly from confusion about the bird's place of origin. Early North American colonists interbred wild turkeys with domestic stock brought from England. Some common modern breeds of domestic turkey in the United States are the Bronze, Narragansett, White Holland, and Bourbon Red. About 250 million turkeys are raised each year in the United States, with Minnesota, North Carolina, and Arkansas leading in production (see Poultry Farming). Domestic turkey production has grown steadily and turkey products are now available year round. Turkey is leaner than beef or pork, and has been used to make hot dogs, sausage, and ham. The modern domestic turkey has been bred to provide extra amounts of white breast meat and to put on weight rapidly. As a result, domestic turkeys can no longer fly and adult males are too cumbersome to mate with females. Females must be artificially inseminated. Domestic turkey chicks also need to be taught to eat. VII AMERICAN TRADITIONS The turkey is the icon of the American Thanksgiving holiday as the main dish served for the meal. Wild turkey was reportedly on the menu at the first Thanksgiving held by the Pilgrims in 1621, along with venison and fish. The special association of turkey with Thanksgiving was firmly established by the early 20th century. Founding Father and scientist Ben Franklin favored the wild turkey over the bald eagle for the national bird of the United States but failed to persuade other members of the Second Continental Congress. He explained in a letter to his daughter: "For the truth the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America." Scientific classification: Turkeys belong to the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes. They are sometimes placed in a separate family, Meleagrididae. The wild turkey is classified as Meleagris gallopavo, with six subspecies found in different regions. The ocellated turkey is classified as Agriocharis ocellata or sometimes as Meleagris ocellata. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.