A Fine Feathered Patriot

Strutting like a hometown hero, the wild turkey embodies Philly’s pluck and verve

Bald eagle, schmald eagle! There’s another bird in town that’s just as American. A “true original” as Ben Franklin once said — a “bird of courage” who would nobly defend his barnyard from invaders. The story goes that Franklin pitched the turkey over the bald eagle for the official emblem of the United States. While that’s a myth, he did admire the turkey’s spunky character in a letter to his daughter, where he joked that it was a fitting symbol for a young country defending itself.

If you think of turkeys as big clumsy farm birds, think again. Wild turkeys are resilient survivors: swift and resourceful, with an impressive ability to adapt to their surroundings. These birds are not the timid sort. With their keen eyesight and bold, puffed-up chests, they are ready to defend the homeland at a moment’s notice! And thanks to conservation efforts, wild turkeys are once again flourishing in Philly greenspaces.

Urban woodlands like the Wissahickon and Pennypack Park provide the ideal habitat for turkeys to feed, drink, and roost. These gregarious birds live in small groups called “rafters” where they spend their days scratching through underbrush, foraging for seeds, acorns, bugs, worms and basically whatever’ll fit in their beaks. At dusk, they’ll fly up into a sturdy tree, and choose a nice, safe branch to perch on for the night.

Only the hens build nests, and only for brooding. Sometime in late March through May, an expectant hen will find a well-hidden spot on the ground to create a shallow depression which she’ll line with leaves, grass, feathers, and other natural padding. She’ll lay one egg per day for about two weeks, and then sit on them for about a month straight – rarely, if ever, leaving her nest. Once they hatch, she will use her broad wings to guide her offspring to food and water, and keep them snug at night.

Baby turkeys, known as “poults”, are quick learners. Within just a few hours of hatching, they’re up and about, following their mother as she shows them the ropes of turkey life. As the poults grow, they form strong bonds with each other and the rest of their rafter, relying on each other for safety, warmth, and social interaction – until fall. Then the young male “jakes” break off into bachelor groups with other toms, while the hens all hang together in their own squad.

By November, these same-sex flocks are bulking up for the winter, seeking as much food as possible to build up their energy reserves for the cold months ahead. Wild turkeys also grow a thick layer of insulating feathers this time of year, and as temperatures drop they will huddle together to conserve body heat, especially when roosting at night.

Both genders are sound, gutsy birds and formidable guardians. Wild turkeys may seem a little ungainly on their feet, but they’re surprisingly agile. They can run up to 20 miles per hour, and fly 20 – 30 feet into the air. When challenged, a turkey will square off with its wings spread wide, its tail fanned out, and its broad chest inflated like a warrior’s. These tough birds also have sharp beaks and claws they will use, if needed, to chase off cats, dogs, foxes, even coyotes.

Turkeys serve many important roles in our environment, too. They eat a wide variety of ticks, grubs, beetles and other creepy-crawlers, helping to naturally keep their populations in check. They also consume a lot of fruits and berries, whose seeds they helpfully disperse throughout their habitat. And the very act of scratching around helps break up leaf litter into organic matter, enriching the soil and also aerating it to keep our forest floors healthy.

Indeed, there’s a lot to admire in our native gobblers – it’s easy to see why Franklin was smitten. The next time you’re hiking a Wissahickon trail or strolling through Fairmount Park, keep your eyes peeled for these avian good citizens. Much more than just a Thanksgiving symbol, they’re part of our city’s natural legacy:

A wild turkey might not be as sleek as an eagle, but it’s a bird of grit and heart. It doesn’t soar the highest, but it still flies high and proud. It knows how to defend its home, provide for its family, and strut through life with innate confidence. How very Philadelphian!

🦃 Wild Turkey Fun Facts 🦃

1. Wild turkeys are typically 3 to 4 feet tall, weighing 11 – 21 lbs; males have a distinctive bald “snood” that changes color to signal mood: red for excitement, blue for courtship, and white for dominance displays.
2. Turkeys are nondiscriminate, opportunistic feeders. In addition to bugs and vegetable matter, wild turkeys will also eat small reptiles and amphibians if they come across them.
3. Turkeys have excellent vision. They can see in color and have a field of vision of about 270 degrees! This means they can spot potential threats from almost any angle, which makes them very hard to sneak up on.
4. During the spring mating season, solo male turkeys can often be seen strutting through their territories, including into adjoining neighborhood lawns and greenspaces. These toms will fluff up their feathers, fan out their tails like a dramatic feather duster, and gobble in deep, echoing tones to attract hens — or just assert general dominance in the area.
5. Wild turkeys are homebodies, sticking to a range of just a few square miles. You’ll probably find the same turkeys (or their descendants) in the same areas year after year.
6. It’s a popular myth that only tom turkeys gobble, but for males it’s more common and also tends to have a special significance during the breeding season to attract females and assert dominance among other males. Hens tend to communicate with each other and their young via clucks, purrs, and yelps.
7. If you’re seeking signs of turkeys, look down! Their tracks are 4 – 5 inches long, and very distinctive, a three-toed footprint with a fourth “toe” pointing backward.
8. You can tell a turkey’s gender by their poop! Males make J-shaped droppings and females make more of a spiral. The thicker they are, the older the bird.
9. For many Indigenous peoples, the turkey was valued as a symbol of abundance and provision. Its feathers were used often in traditional regalia, and its wing feathers were particularly handy in stabilizing arrows, while wing bones were commonly made into whistles.
10. Despite his praise, Benjamin Franklin often used turkeys to test electrical shock, and even wrote to his friend Peter Collinson in 1751 that “birds kill’d in this manner eat uncommonly tender.” 😬

Help a Turkey Out! In Pennsylvania, our wild turkey population has been declining since it peaked at 280,000 in 2001. Today, the Game Commission is engaged in ongoing research to help us better support our remaining 159,000 birds. The good news is, small actions can make a big difference helping local flocks stay resilient and warm through the winter:

• If you live near turkey habitat, consider leaving fallen leaves and acorns on your lawn instead of raking them up into bags. This natural foraging material will go a long way to help sustain them.
• Planting oaks, beech, and other native trees that produce nuts or fruit will provide a great food source. Berry-producing shrubs like dogwood, elderberry, and sumac will supply food and also cover.
• By giving turkeys extra space in the winter – especially around their roosting areas – we help them conserve energy during the most trying time of the year.
• Keep your eyes peeled for the PA Game Commission’s next Turkey Sighting Survey, and report any turkey sightings to help keep track of local populations (usually there’s a winter and a summer survey).