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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
As I was heading to the park, I passed this female turkey on the side of the road near Peninsula Ohio.
Turkeys are surprisingly agile fliers and very cunning, unlike their domestic counterparts. Turkeys are very cautious birds and will fly or run at the first sign of danger. In flight they can reach a speed of 50 miles per hour. They usually fly close to the ground for no more than a quarter mile. Turkeys have many vocalizations: "gobbles," "clucks," "putts," "purrs," "yelps," "cutts," "whines," "cackles," and "kee-kees." In early spring, male turkeys, also called gobblers or toms, gobble to announce their presence to females and competing males. The gobble can carry for up to a mile. Males also emit a low-pitched drumming sound. Hens "yelp" to let gobblers know their location. Gobblers often yelp in the manner of females, and hens can gobble, though they rarely do so. Immature males, called jakes, yelp often.
Although turkeys often feed in woods, for mating they move to areas that provide visibility, such as open woods, fields, pastures, shrubby growth, and even quiet roads, using their excellent eyesight to spot danger. Open areas near woods or brush give displaying males and the females they attract a quick means of escape.
Hens nest on the ground at the base of a tree or shrub, or in tall grass. At night, they roost in trees. Turkeys living near lakes or river backwaters may roost on tree limbs overhanging water.
Wild Turkeys, which do not migrate, have benefited from reintroduction programs across the United States. In those places where they are not hunted or harassed, they often become accustomed to human proximity. |
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