- Meleagris gallopavo
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.
Distribution
United States and Mexico.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Woods, open woods, fields, pastures, and shrubby growth.
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.
