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title: "What the sources say about the Wild Turkey | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "54 claims from the Wild Turkey profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Wild Turkey (*Meleagris gallopavo*)

> 54 claims from the Wild Turkey profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Wild Turkey](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/wild-turkey/)

## Meleagris gallopavo. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22679525A132051953.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t22679525a132051953.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the Red List rates it Least Concern | Least Concern (note: GBIF's copy of the Red List checked: LC for Meleagris gallopavo, taxon 22679525) |
| Least Concern | Least Concern (note: GBIF's copy of the Red List checked: LC for Meleagris gallopavo, taxon 22679525) |

## Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/wild-turkey

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Gobbles heard up to a mile away | A male’s gobble can be heard up to one mile (1.6 kilometers) away! |
| east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States | Their range stretches through most of the U.S., east of the Rocky Mountains |
| Acorns, nuts, berries, seeds and leaves, plus insects and salamanders | where they eat acorns, nuts, berries, seeds and leaves as well as small animals like insects and salamanders |
| A gobble that can be heard up to a mile away | A male’s gobble can be heard up to one mile (1.6 kilometers) away! |
| That gobble can be heard up to a mile (1.6 kilometers) away. | A male’s gobble can be heard up to one mile (1.6 kilometers) away! |
| The gobble is one of at least 15 different wild turkey calls that biologists have identified. | biologists have identified at least 15 different vocalizations, including the male’s gobble |
| A wild turkey rarely flies more than 100 yards (91 meters), but in the air it can hit up to 54 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour). It can swim, too. | Wild turkeys rarely fly more than 100 yards (91 meters) but they can fly quickly – up to 54 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour). They can even swim! |
| A male stands about 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and weighs 15 to 25 pounds (6.8 to 11.3 kilograms). | Male wild turkeys stand about 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and weigh 15 to 25 pounds (6.8 to 11.3 kilograms). |
| A female stands about 3 feet (1 meter) tall | Females are about 3 feet (1 meter) tall. |
| Wild turkeys are the heaviest members of Galliformes, the order that includes chickens, quails and pheasants. | Wild turkeys are the heaviest members of the order Galliformes , which includes chickens, quails and pheasants, among others. |
| across most of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, with pockets in northern Montana and central California | Their range stretches through most of the U.S., east of the Rocky Mountains, with pockets living in northern Montana, central California |
| By day they graze on acorns, nuts, berries, seeds and leaves, plus insects and salamanders. | They spend most of their time grazing in grasslands and forests where they eat acorns, nuts, berries, seeds and leaves as well as small animals like insects and salamanders. |
| At night they roost in trees. | roost in trees to sleep at night |
| The Smithsonian puts a wild turkey's lifespan at about three to five years | A wild turkey’s lifespan is about three to five years. |
| A hen nests in a shallow scrape in the ground ringed by deep vegetation, and lays eight to 15 eggs, which she incubates for 25 to 31 days. | They make nests, which are shallow scrapes in the ground surrounded by deep vegetation. The mother makes the nests and lays eight to 15 eggs, which she incubates for 25 to 31 days. |
| The chicks can feed themselves within a day of hatching. | Once hatched, the chicks can feed themselves within a day of hatching. |
| Fathers are not involved in raising the young. | Fathers are not involved in raising the young. |
| Some hens practise egg dumping, a tactic where they lay eggs in another female's nest. | Some female wild turkeys lay eggs in another females’ nest, a tactic known as egg dumping. |
| They can even use the nests of ruffed grouse. | They can lay eggs in another turkey’s nest, or in the nests of ruffled grouse. |
| The wild turkey was once a species in decline. | Now plentiful and abundant, the wild turkey was once a species in decline. |
| Releasing captive-bred birds did not work. | Releasing captive-bred wild turkeys didn’t work. |
| Instead, conservationists captured wild turkeys from one area and moved them to others. | conservationists captured wild turkeys from one area and transplanted them to others |
| Males are the heavyweights at 6.8 to 11.3 kg (15 to 25 pounds). | weigh 15 to 25 pounds (6.8 to 11.3 kilograms) |
| No bird in the order that holds chickens, quails and pheasants outweighs a wild turkey. | Wild turkeys are the heaviest members of the order Galliformes , which includes chickens, quails and pheasants, among others. |
| About three to five years, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo. | A wild turkey’s lifespan is about three to five years. |
| Yes, and fast: up to 54 miles per hour (88.5 km/h). | they can fly quickly – up to 54 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour) |
| They rarely go more than 100 yards (91 m) at a time, though. | Wild turkeys rarely fly more than 100 yards (91 meters) |
| A wild turkey rarely flies more than 100 yards (91 meters), but in the air it can hit up to 54 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour). | Wild turkeys rarely fly more than 100 yards (91 meters) but they can fly quickly – up to 54 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour). |
| flight at up to 54 mph | they can fly quickly – up to 54 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour) |
| to a male's 1.2 meters | Male wild turkeys stand about 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall |
| Females are smaller, standing about 1 meter (3 feet) tall | Females are about 3 feet (1 meter) tall. |
| Today the Smithsonian calls it plentiful and abundant | Now plentiful and abundant, the wild turkey was once a species in decline. |
| A displaying male struts with his tail fanned, wings dragging on the ground and head thrown back, then gobbles loud enough to carry a mile. | A male’s gobble can be heard up to one mile (1.6 kilometers) away! (note: vibe.reason, second part) |

## Meleagris gallopavo (wild turkey). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Meleagris_gallopavo/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Hardwood and mixed forests with scattered clearings, mostly east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States | Wild turkeys prefer hardwood and mixed conifer-hardwood forests with scattered openings |
| struts with his tail fanned out, wings lowered and dragging on the ground, back feathers erect and head thrown back | "strutting" with their tail fanned out, their wings lowered and dragging on the ground, their back feathers erect, their head thrown back |
| In spring a displaying male struts | during the spring, males will fan out their tails, strut and "gobble" in an attempt to attract and retain a harem of females |
| Its job is to attract females and drive off rival males. | The "gobble" is give primarily by males with the purpose of attracting females and repelling competing males. |
| usually weighs 3.6 to 5.4 kilograms | Hens usually weigh 3.6 to 5.4 kg. |
| A male has a red wattle, a fleshy lobe hanging from his throat | They have a red wattle (a fleshy lobe that hangs down from the chin or throat) |
| a head that turns red, white or blue depending on the season | The heads of adult males (called gobblers) are red, blue, or white depending on the season. |
| They live in hardwood and mixed forests with scattered clearings | Wild turkeys prefer hardwood and mixed conifer-hardwood forests with scattered openings |
| the oldest known wild turkey lived at least 13 | The oldest known wild turkey lived at least 13 years. |
| Male wild turkeys court with noise and theatre. | Wild turkeys use vocalizations and physical displays to communicate. |
| Big, colour-changing and up a tree at night | The heads of adult males (called gobblers) are red, blue, or white depending on the season. |
| A displaying male struts with his tail fanned, wings dragging on the ground and head thrown back, then gobbles loud enough to carry a mile. | "strutting" with their tail fanned out, their wings lowered and dragging on the ground, their back feathers erect, their head thrown back (note: vibe.reason; same source as the body claim) |

## Did Benjamin Franklin Want The National Bird To Be A Turkey? The Franklin Institute.

https://www.fi.edu/benjamin-franklin/franklin-national-bird

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The Franklin Institute calls that a myth. | The story about Benjamin Franklin wanting the National Bird to be a turkey is just a myth. |
| in a letter to his daughter, that the eagle design for the Great Seal looked more like a turkey, and he called the turkey "a much more respectable Bird" than the eagle | a letter Franklin wrote to his daughter criticizing the original eagle design for the Great Seal, saying that it looked more like a turkey ... the turkey is “a much more respectable Bird |
| He did not propose it as a national symbol. | he did not propose it become one of America’s most important symbols |
| He did not put it forward as a national symbol. | he did not propose it become one of America’s most important symbols |
| You may have heard that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey as the national bird. | The story about Benjamin Franklin wanting the National Bird to be a turkey |
| No. The Franklin Institute says the story is a myth that grew from a letter to his daughter | is just a myth. This false story began due to a letter Franklin wrote to his daughter |
| in which Franklin complained that the eagle drawn for the Great Seal looked more like a turkey and praised the turkey as "a much more respectable Bird." | criticizing the original eagle design for the Great Seal, saying that it looked more like a turkey ... the turkey is “a much more respectable Bird |