Eastern Wild Turkeys

The Eastern Wild Turkey is the most common turkey in the United States. It is the bird that Ben Franklin wanted as our national bird. The breeding season for Eastern Wild Turkeys in the wild is from February to May, and the average clutch consists of 10 to 12 eggs. The eggs are incubated for a period of 27 to 28 days. The Eastern Wild Turkey is one of only two domesticated birds native to North America. The other is the Muscovy Duck. For many years Eastern Wild Turkeys were an important source of food for colonists and settlers. By the 1900s it had been over-hunted and was in danger of becoming extinct. The Eastern Wild Turkey has brown, gray and black feathers. The breast feathers of the toms are tipped with black. If a beard is present it is black, and the tail is, of course, fan-shaped, and has alternating dark bands across it. Toms have dewlaps, which are bright red. Toms usually weigh between 18 and 24 pounds, but can weigh more, and hens average around 10 to 12 pounds.