WILD TURKEY

(Meleagris gallopavo)

eBird gives this description of the Wild Turkey:  Among the largest birds in North America. The large-bodied, long-legged and small-headed look of a turkey is distinctive. Appears dark from a distance. Often seen in small groups in open fields near woods. Gobbling often audible in the spring and early summer.  All About Birds adds this descriptive information about the Wild Turkey:  Most North American kids learn turkey identification early, by tracing outlines of their hands to make Thanksgiving cards. These big, spectacular birds are an increasingly common sight the rest of the year, too, as flocks stride around woods and clearings like miniature dinosaurs. Courting males puff themselves into feathery balls and fill the air with exuberant gobbling. The Wild Turkey’s popularity at the table led to a drastic decline in numbers, but they have recovered and now occur in every state except Alaska.