With Thanksgiving happening this week, it's time to appreciate the Wild Turkey.  While most Thanksgiving dinner tables will feature its domesticated relative, the tradition of a turkey dinner came from times when much more food was provided by hunting wild animals.  Perhaps the most well-known admirer of the Wild Turkey was Benjamin Franklin, who campaigned for it to be the national symbol.  It fell just one vote short in Congress.  Such large birds are charismatic and have many admirers, both hunters and non-hunters.

A turkey flock regularly travels through our neighborhood, and the story is that the former owners of our house had an offer on the house a year before we bought it, but turned it down because of a comment from the would-be buyer about hunting turkeys.  We have a flock of 14 that has been seen off and on since this summer, and they have been coming more regularly this fall.  The flock appears to be made up of two broods with their mothers, who have been joined recently by a few more, including at least one tom.  They feed on seed beneath our feeders and in a neighbor's yard where seed is spread on the front walkway.  They also drink from our bird bath--standing on the ground and stretching their necks to reach the water.

Wild Turkeys  prefer oak savanna or woodland edges, with acorns being an important food source.  They also feed on all kinds of grain and other seeds, berries, other plant parts, insects, and the occasional frog, lizard, or snake.  Although they spend most of their time on the ground, Wild Turkeys can fly and often roost in trees at night.  Large oaks with spreading branches provide excellent roost trees, another reason oak savanna is one of their preferred habitats.