The August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area was purchased by the Missouri Department of Conservation in 1947 from the federal government. Mrs. August A. Busch Sr.
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Scientific Name
Meleagris gallopavo
Family
Phasianidae (pheasants) in the order Galliformes
Description
Adult wild turkey males are very large and dark with a bare, red and blue head, with red wattles on the throat and neck. They have long legs. The feathers are bronzy and iridescent. Males, and some females, have a tuft of hairlike feathers (a “beard”) in the middle of the breast. Females are smaller and less iridescent.
Turkeys are most famous for their gobbling calls, but they make many other vocalizations as well.
Size
Length: 48 inches (tip of bill to tip of tail).
Where To Find
Statewide; most abundant in the Ozark Border, Glaciated Plains, and Ozark natural divisions.
Habitat and Conservation
A popular gamebird, the wild turkey is found in most Missouri habitats. Like other ground-nesting birds, their reproductive success is influenced by the quality of habitat when nesting and raising young (poults).
A nesting hen requires habitat with cover dense enough to hide her and the nest from predators, yet open enough for her to escape if necessary.
Poults need habitat that is dominated by forbs (broadleaf nonwoody plants and flowers); the cover should be thick and tall enough to hide the poults from predators while sparse enough to allow the poults to move and forage for insects.
In less than 75 years of conservation efforts, Missouri's turkey populations went from around 2,500 birds to several hundred thousand individuals. More recently, however, turkey populations have declined throughout much of the eastern United States. The loss or degradation of nesting and brooding habitat is likely a leading cause for this decline.
Good turkey habitat is often associated with landscape disturbance, in particular prescribed fire. Without disturbance, the vegetation at the ground level is either too thick for a poult to navigate or too sparse to hide a poult. Also, disturbance often invigorates the low, herbaceous vegetation and encourages more forbs to grow. Without frequent disturbance, habitat is likely to degrade to the point where wild turkey are unlikely to have nesting or brood-raising success.
- For more information on wild turkey habitat and conservation, and ways you can make your property more welcoming to turkeys, visit MDC's Turkey Habitat Initiative page.
Food
Wild turkeys eat a huge variety of food, varying with the season.
During the spring, adults feed heavily on any remaining hard mast (such as acorns), new green growth, and insects. Upon hatching, the poults are almost entirely dependent on insects during their first month of their life. They will eat other foods, but the high protein content found in insects is critical for initial growth. As spring turns to summer, insects remain a primary food source, but seeds and available soft mast (such as berries) are eaten, too. As fall progresses, insect numbers decrease, and seeds, agricultural grain, and hard and soft mast become the primary foods. During winter, turkeys rely heavily on grains, seeds, and (especially) hard mast.
Wild turkeys typically forage by scratching in the leaves beneath hedgerows and in leafy areas in woodlands and forests.
Status
Common permanent resident. Most common in areas that have a good mix of open and forested landscapes. Less common in areas that have been heavily converted into agricultural production such as the Mississippi Lowlands region of the Bootheel, though populations have started to grow there in recent years.
Life Cycle
Life Cycle
Turkeys flock in winter. In spring, male turkeys (toms) begin gobbling to announce themselves to males and to attract females. Males perform elaborate strutting displays for females, spreading their tails like a peacock and puffing out their feathers. After mating, females care for the young alone, creating shallow nests on the ground. They lay about 10–14 eggs over a period of days, then incubate them for about a month. Like the young of chickens, the young of wild turkeys are precocial: covered with down and relatively well-developed after hatching. They are able to leave the nest within a day of hatching.
Human Connections
Turkeys are an extremely popular gamebird, and hunting has a large economic impact in the state.
As one of Missouri's more easily identifiable birds, the turkey also provides a good introduction to birdwatching.
Turkeys are native to North America, and indigenous people in southern Mexico and Central America domesticated them 2000 years ago. Starting in the 1500s, the domesticated turkey was spread throughout the world as a poultry species, and many breeds were developed. They are, of course, a favorite main course at Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts.
An early legend about the origin of Mexican mole sauces says that those complex gravies were developed to accompany turkey meat, which can be rather dry. Today, most people north of the border enjoy mole colorado, mole poblano, and mole negro (and the many other mole sauces) with chicken, tamales, or enchiladas. (The domesticated chicken, originating in Asia, didn't arrive in Central America until Europeans introduced it in about the 1500s.)
Ecosystem Connections
Turkeys, as ground-nesting birds, are preyed on by many animals. Various predatory mammals, birds, and reptiles eat turkey eggs and poults. Adult turkeys are less susceptible to predation, but there are many cases where large predatory birds (such as great-horned owls) have been documented capturing adult turkeys, even large gobblers.
High-quality turkey habitat is also great habitat for a huge diversity of species. In particular, good brooding habitat is great for pollinators, migrating songbirds, and white-tailed deer.
Relatives: the wild turkey is a member of order Galliformes, the gallinaceous birds. These are ground-feeding birds with rather heavy bodies, relatively short wings, and a habit of running instead of flying. Flights are generally short bursts to escape danger or to reach a lower tree limb for roosting.
- Examples include chickens, guinea fowl, partridges, pheasants, peafowl, quail, ptarmigans, and grouse.
- Across the world, many members of this group are economically important for meat, eggs, hunting, or farming.
- Many species, such as chickens, have been domesticated and bred to have numerous shapes and colors.
- Many species, such as turkey, chickens, and peafowl, have spectacularly colorful males with elaborate courtship displays, making them popular in zoos.
- Gallinaceous birds are preyed upon by a wide variety of predators. They are usually ground-nesters, and their eggs and young are preyed upon heavily, too.
- Gallinaceous birds typically have precocial young (the chicks are fuzzy and relatively well-developed upon hatching, and can run around and peck for food soon after hatching). This is an adaptation to ground-nesting, where a lengthy period of naked, blind helplessness would make them more vulnerable to predation.
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Media Gallery
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Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Adult male wild turkeys are very large and dark with a bare, red and blue head, with red wattles on the throat and neck.
Credit
David Stonner
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Photo by David Stonner, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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A popular gamebird, the wild turkey is found in mixed forests and grasslands statewide.
Credit
Jim Rathert
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Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Successful management of wild turkey populations focuses on proper seasonal combinations of food, cover, and water.
Credit
Jim Rathert
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Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Young turkey and other fowl are called poults.
Credit
Jim Rathert
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Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Video of a wild turkey.
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Male wild turkeys make a gobbling sound, especially during mating season in the spring.
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David Stonner
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Photo by David Stonner, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Noppadol Paothong
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Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Where to See Species
Caney Mountain Conservation Area is in Ozark County, five miles north of Gainsville.
Peck Ranch consists of 23,763 acres of rugged, forested hills and hollows. Limestone and rhyolite glades provide natural openings among the oak-pine forest that dominates the region.
Drury-Mincy Conservation Area is in southern Taney County, southeast of Branson, off of Route J.
This is a forest area that has an archery and firearms range. This area has unimproved roads that are open to public vehicles. These roads may not be shown on area maps or posted with signs.
About Birds in Missouri
About 350 species of birds are likely to be seen in Missouri, though nearly 400 have been recorded within our borders. Most people know a bird when they see one — it has feathers, wings, and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. Many communicate with songs and calls.
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