Fauna Flora Photography

Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo

Wild Turkey is a ground bird native to North America. This species doesn’t migrate and settles over winter in forests with conifer trees. It is a large, omnivorous bird foraging on nuts, seeds, berries, buds, leaves, roots and insects.

Specs

Length120-150cm
Weight6.8-11kg male, 3.6-5.4kg female
Wingspan150-180cm

Common Names

GermanTruthuhn
EnglishWild Turkey
FrenchDindon Sauvage
SpanishPavo Salvaje

Taxonomy

OrderGalliformes
FamilyPhasianidae
SpeciesMeleagris gallopavo

How to Identify

A large bird, mostly seen foraging on the ground or sitting on a lower tree branch. Dark brown feathers, no feathers on the head, slightly blue head, and red throat.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) - Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies - 2023-03-11
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) - Parc Angrignon - 2022-03-05

Where and When to Spot

Although around all year long, my first sighting of this species occurred in Winter in Park Angrignon. They have been fed with seeds by park visitors.

SpringSummerFallWinter
Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies - - - x

Where and when a species has been observed, identified, and recorded.


Last updated on 2024-03-14. Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to parks in the Montreal area.