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 In
addition to being a popular holiday food and Ben Franklin's candidate
for the national bird, the wild turkey was plate number 1 painted
by John James Audubon in his book The Birds of America.
The wild turkey is the largest North American
wild game bird. It is a heavy-bodied, gallinaceous (chicken-like)
bird. Its appearance is more streamlined than its domestic counterpart,
with longer legs and neck and a smaller, flatter head.
Turkeys eat acorns, fruit, seeds and sometimes
grasshoppers and even small snakes!
The weight of a wild turkey varies with age and
sex. The females, or hens, generally weigh between 8 and 14 pounds.
Male turkeys, called gobbler, weigh between 15 and 28 pounds.
Turkeys are weak fliers and prefer to avoid danger
by running. They roost in trees at night. The increase or decrease
in light intensity is the stimulus that causes then to ascend to
or descent from their roosts.
The color of naked head and neck areas of the
turkey may change. A pale color indicates the turkey is disturbed
or frightened. Bright red is a response to a threat and blue is
seen during courtship.
Turkeys are not native to the Black Hills. Because
of intense hunting pressure and destruction of their forest habitat,
turkey populations were threatened nationwide. In an effort to ensure
the survival of the species, wild game managers introduced turkeys
into areas of suitable habitat. The Black Hills is a place where
the introduction of turkeys was successful.
Wild turkeys are sometimes seen in Wind Cave
National Park along Highway 87 in Reeves Gulch and along County
Road 101, south of the park near the Buffalo Gap.
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