| rkey hunters hunt eastern wild turkey, the turkey | | | | browner color. Female breast feathers are rather |
| that inhabits the United States in the greatest of | | | | brown instead of black tipped and the heads of |
| numbers. It is widely distributed across the United | | | | female Eastern turkeys are covered in a certain |
| States and is one of several subspecies that cover | | | | amount of feathers, while males ones are not. |
| the American continent. Roughly speaking, it inhabits | | | | Female turkeys also do not possess the caruncles |
| the eastern half of the United States. The Puritans | | | | around the beak. |
| first described the turkey in 1817 and back then, | | | | The reproductive cycle of turkeys is in spring and |
| named it the forest turkey. | | | | young ones are hatched generally during June and to |
| Some of the birds of this subspecies of wild turkeys | | | | the beginning of mid-summer. Gobblers court for their |
| can grow very large. The male adult turkey, also | | | | females in spring until they find one that accepts their |
| called tom or gobbler, can grow up to 4 feet tall and | | | | dance. After mating, females will make a shallow nest |
| weigh more than 20 pounds. It has a covert tail and | | | | by scratching soil, rather than constructing a nest |
| the tips of the tail of the long feathers are tipped | | | | from materials. Nest sites are chosen so that the hen |
| with chestnut brown color and a dark buff or | | | | as a good view of the surroundings and so that the |
| chocolate brown. The breast feathers of the Eastern | | | | nest is safe from avian predators. The hen will lay |
| turkey are black, while other feathers on the rest of | | | | about 10-12 eggs into her nest and cover them |
| the body have an iridescent sheen. The iridescent | | | | carefully with leaves and other materials should she |
| sheen ranges in color from rich metallic copper to | | | | leave the nest before the incubation period. |
| bronze. | | | | Incubation period is approximately 27 days long and |
| The upper set of wing feathers has white and black | | | | every hour the hen will rotate the eggs. |
| bars all the way from the tip to the shaft. The lower | | | | Only hours after the hatching, little poults dry up and |
| set of feathers is predominantly white and is white | | | | follow their mother’s sound and learn to bond |
| edged and form a white triangular area when the | | | | with her quickly. They learn quickly how to pick food |
| wings are folded up. Male turkeys also have a fleshy | | | | from the floor and other turkey characteristic |
| flap close to their beaks called caruncles, which | | | | movements and behaviors within just 48 hours. At |
| expands due to blood rushing into the flaps when the | | | | this point, turkey males and females are hard to hold |
| turkey is excited. Males also often display a beard | | | | apart, but around fourteen weeks after hatching, |
| and a spur as a difference to female turkeys. | | | | they become more distinguishable. It is also said that |
| Female birds can get almost as tall as the male | | | | poults that survive the first 6 weeks of their life |
| turkey, but in general they are much lighter than the | | | | have a good chance to make it to adulthood. Over |
| male turkey only around 7 to 12 pounds in weight. | | | | time, there a pecking order will be established and |
| The female turkey is called hen. Even though | | | | then poults are ready to enter the general social |
| coloration is similar, the colors are less bright in their | | | | structure of the turkey flock. |
| iridescent sheen and many female turkeys are of | | | | |