Let's Talk Turkey

Looking for some turkey trivia to spice up the dinner table this season? 

Wild Turkeys roost high in trees at night, burst into flight at surprising speed, and can shift their bare heads from red to white to blue during courtship displays. They’re also one of Massachusetts’s great conservation comebacks, bouncing back after overhunting and forest clearing wiped them out of the state by the mid-1800s. 

Today, flocks wander backyards, farm fields, and even city streets across the Commonwealth. Read on to meet the hens, toms, and poults behind the gobble, and find out why this familiar bird deserves a closer look.

Meet the Family

You may see a family flock grazing fields and yards for seeds, greens, bugs, and even small animals, but at night they roost together in trees. And who's strutting their stuff in the flock? Every turkey is “a turkey” until you know the family lingo. 

Turkey Anatomy

Despite their hefty frames, Wild Turkeys can fly short Wild Turkey distances up to 55 mph. 

In addition, a turkey head can change to a vibrantly colorful hue during courtship, boasting aptly named features. 

Caruncles (kuh-RUNG-kuhl) Fleshy lumps on the head and neck that change color if a turkey is excited.

Wattle (WAH-tuhl) A fleshy flap of skin that hangs from the chin and throat.

Snood (snood) Fleshy appendage handing from the forehead that make turkeys can lengthen for display

Gobble Gobble

Male turkeys will typically "gobble" to advertise their presence. But turkeys also purr, cluck, cackle, and make many other sounds. 

Did You Know?

Wild Turkeys were all but extinct in Massachusetts by the 1850s as overharvesting and habitat loss tanked their population. In the 1970’s, Mass Wildlife trapped 37 Wild Turkeys in New York and released them in the Berkshires. Today, Wild Turkeys are a year-round fixture throughout Massachusetts with approximately 30,000-35,000 calling the Commonwealth home.