What are the 4 types of wild turkeys?
What are the 4 types of wild turkeys?
Where the Wild Turkeys Are
- Eastern wild turkey. (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris)
- Osceola wild turkey. (Meleagris gallopavo osceola)
- Rio Grande wild turkey. (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia)
- Merriam’s wild turkey. (Meleagris gallopavo merriami)
- Gould’s wild turkey. (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana)
What are the different types of wild turkeys in the US?
America’s 5 Wild Turkey Subspecies
- Eastern Turkey Subspecies. Eastern turkeys are the most populous in the country with a flock size of about 5.3 million.
- Merriam’s Turkey Subspecies.
- Rio Grande Turkey Subspecies.
- Gould’s Turkey Subspecies.
- Osceola Turkey Subpecies.
Is the wild turkey native to North America?
Domestic turkeys come from the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), a species that is native only to the Americas. In the 1500s, Spanish traders brought some that had been domesticated by indigenous Americans to Europe and Asia. The other is the Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata) of Mexico and Central America.
Are there wild turkeys in America?
The eastern wild turkey is the most abun- dant of the 5 subspecies found in North America. It inhabits roughly the eastern half of the United States.
Where do wild turkeys nest?
Wild Turkeys nest on the ground in dead leaves at the bases of trees, under brush piles or thick shrubbery, or occasionally in open hayfields.
What state has the most wild turkeys?
1. Missouri. Home to more than 317,000 Eastern turkeys, hunters harvested 47.603 of them.
In which country did turkeys originate?
All of our modern-day domestic turkeys originate from the tamed Aztec birds from southern Mexico. And the wild progenitor of these birds was the sixth “South Mexican” subspecies. Anasazi-bred domestic turkeys from the Four Corners region had their roots in the Eastern and Rio Grande subspecies.
Do wild turkeys roost in the same tree every night?
Turkeys may use traditional roost sites night after night but they generally use different sites and move from tree to tree. Turkeys usually select the largest trees available and roost as high in them as they can comfortably perch.
Where do turkeys go during the day?
Although turkeys spend most of their time on the ground during the day, they sleep in trees at night. Turkeys cannot see well in the dark. Sleeping in trees provides protection from predators that roam and can see at night. They fly up to roost at dusk, and fly down at dawn to begin their daily rituals.
