From Opus

Meleagris gallopavo

Photo by Screech.

[edit] Identification

Featherless, red head and throat, long red-orange to grey-blue legs, dark-brown to black body; the head has fleshy growths. Males have red wattles on the throat and neck and rear spurs on their lower legs. Long, dark, fan-shaped tail and glossy bronze wings. Female feathers are duller overall, in shades of brown and grey.

[edit] Distribution

United States and Mexico.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Habitat

Woods, open woods, fields, pastures, and shrubby growth.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet is made up 80% of grass, but also includes acorns, nuts, seeds, berries, roots and insects.

The nest is a shallow dirt depression covered with woody vegetation. 10-14 eggs are laid, usually one per day. The eggs are incubated for at least 28 days.

[edit] External Links