Domestic Turkeys

Domesticated bird. The Wild Turkey is native to North America, ranging from the hardwood forests of Canada and the United States down to the darker-feathered subspecies in Mexico.

Omnivorous foragers.

• Wild: Acorns, nuts, seeds, insects, and lizards.
• Zoo: Gamebird pellets, grains, and greens.

• Wild: 3 – 5 years
• Captivity: 10 years

• Snood: The fleshy appendage that hangs over their beak is called a snood; it can change color with the bird’s mood.
• Ben Franklin: Franklin criticized the Bald Eagle as a bird of “bad moral character” and praised the Turkey as a “bird of courage.”
• Vision: They have three times better vision than humans and can see in color.