Wild turkey

A large galliform bird (family Phasianidae) native to North America. Wild adults weigh 2.5–11 kg (males much larger, with the largest domestic breeds exceeding 15 kg). Males (toms) have iridescent bronze-green plumage, a bare, red-blue carunculated head and neck, a fleshy snood over the beak, a dewlap (wattle), and a fan-shaped tail displayed during courtship. Females (hens) are smaller and duller brown. They are ground-dwelling omnivores, eating seeds, nuts (acorns), fruits, insects, and small vertebrates in open woodlands and forest edges. Males are polygynous, gobbling loudly to attract hens. Domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico ~2,000 years ago, domestic turkeys are one of the most important poultry species (over 600 million produced annually). Benjamin Franklin famously advocated for the turkey over the bald eagle as the US national bird. Hens lay 10–14 eggs per clutch; incubation: 28 days. Poults are precocial. Lifespan: 3–5 years wild, 10 captive. The genome is sequenced (2n=80). IUCN: Least Concern.