![]() They grow longer as they age, another way of dominating younger birds. Toms also have sharp spurs on the back of their legs. Biologists haven’t determined a purpose for the beards. Toms sport one or more “beards.” Comprised of modified feathers, they hang down from the birds’ breasts and can grow up to 15 inches long. Their diet, which changes seasonally, includes more than 600 species of plants, nuts, and insects. In winter, they can scratch through half a foot of snow to secure food, although they’re capable of going two weeks without eating. Wild turkeys flock in the frost at Storm King Art Center. Their goal is to breed with as many hens as possible. Toms also fan out their colorful tail feathers and strut around. Wild turkeys have a “pecking order.” In their flocks, whose populations can surpass 200, male turkeys (known as toms) use their beaks to jab “inferior” birds. That’s just one way they impress females (hens) during the April-June breeding season. Poults are particularly vulnerable to predators for the first two to three weeks, until they learn to fly and can roost in trees with adults. Turkey parenting is a hen-only affair. It lasts just a few days after hatching, until the young (poults) are able to forage for themselves. Presumably, this helps her synchronize the eggs’ hatching. One vocalization allows hens to communicate with unborn offspring. They have 28 distinctive calls. Along with the characteristic gobble, these sounds include puffs, clucks, and whines. ![]() The turkey, Franklin wrote, is “a much more respectable Bird, and…though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage.” American wild turkeys in autumn. It’s a myth that Benjamin Franklin lobbied for the wild turkey to be America’s national symbol. However, there’s no doubt he thought they stacked up favorably to the bald eagle. When Europeans arrived in America, they brought wild birds, now domesticated, back with them. Their name comes from the country. Turkey was a destination on the route taken to ship the birds from the New World to European markets starting in the 1500s. In addition to relying on wild turkeys for food, Native Americans used their bones to craft tools and ritual objects. ![]() Indigenous peoples hunted and trapped the birds, and started domesticating them as early as 1200 A.D. date back more than five million years. This means they may predate the earliest human inhabitants. (Photo: Brett Weinstein / Flickr CC)įossils of wild turkeys found in the U.S. We’ve assembled some fun facts about the habits and history of one of North America’s largest birds - including the amazing comeback they’ve made in New York State. ![]() Ground Control: Soil Health and Climate ResiliencyĬurrently flocking in valley cornfields, wild turkeys lead extraordinary lives.Federal Watershed Protection Legislation.Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022.Connecting people with inspirational power of the Hudson River since 1963. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |