Turkey is a native bird of America. This ppt covers the classification, geographic distribution, habitat, behaviour, reproduction and use of Turkey by humans.
3. Introduction:
• The turkey is a large bird in the
genus Meleagris, which is native to
the Americas(Nearctic Region).
Males of turkey species have a
distinctive fleshy wattle or
protuberance that hangs from the
top of the beak (called a snood).
They are among the largest birds in
their ranges. As in many galliformes,
the male is larger and much more
colorful than the female.
5. Naming:
A theory arises from turkeys coming to England not directly from the
Americas, but via merchant ships from the Middle East, where they
were domesticated successfully. The importers lent the name to the
bird; Middle Eastern merchants were called "Turkey merchants" as
much of that area was part of the Ottoman Empire. Hence the name
"Turkey-cocks" and "Turkey-hens", and soon thereafter, "turkeys".
(Professor of Romance languages Mario Pei,
Columbia University)
6. Conservation Status:
• Least Concern
• By the early 1900s, the continent’s wild turkey
population had been reduced to an estimated
30,000 birds.
• Wild turkeys declined for the same reasons that
doom so many species: overhunting and habitat loss.
• It seemed that nothing could turn this slaughter
around, but fortunately conservationists –Theodore
Roosevelt, George Bird Grinnell and others – rallied.
They created protected areas. They started a
movement to pass game laws and enforced them.
8. Geographic Distribution:
• M.gallopavo
Forests of North America, from Mexico throughout the Midwest
and eastern United States, and into southeastern Canada.
• M.ocellate
Forests of the Yucatan Peninsula
• M.californica
Southern California
9. Human and Wild Turkey:
• Turkeys have been known to be
aggressive toward humans and pets in
residential areas.
• Wild turkeys have a social structure and
pecking order and habituated turkeys
may respond to humans and animals as
they do to another turkey. Habituated
turkeys may attempt to dominate or
attack people that the birds view as
subordinates.
10. Use by Humans:
• M.gallopavo is used by humans for
their meat, rich in protein, niacin, and
vitamin B.
• Feathers are used to make robes,
blankets, and decorative purposes.
• Americans often eat turkey on special
occasions such as at Thanksgiving or
Christmas.
11. Asexual Reproduction:
• Turkeys are notable for their ability, rare amongst higher species, to
reproduce asexually.
• In the absence of a male, female Turkeys are known to produce fertile
eggs.
• The individual produced is often sickly, and nearly always male.
12. Size and Shape:
• Wild Turkeys are very large, plump birds
with long legs, wide, rounded tails, and a
small head on a long, slim neck.
• Measurements:
Length: 43.3-45.3 in (110-115 cm)
Weight: 2500-10800 g
Wingspan: 49.2-56.7 in (125-144 cm)
13. Color Pattern:
• Turkeys are dark overall with a bronze-
green iridescence to most of their
plumage.
• Their wings are dark, boldly barred
with white.
• Their rump and tail feathers are
broadly tipped with rusty or white.
• The bare skin of the head and neck
varies from red to blue to gray.
14. Behavior:
• Turkeys travel in flocks and search on
the ground for nuts, berries, insects,
and snails.
• They use their strong feet to scratch leaf
litter out of the way.
• At night, turkeys fly up into trees to
roost in groups.
15. Behavior:
• In early spring, males gather
in clearings to perform
courtship displays.
• They puff up their body
feathers, flare their tails into
a vertical fan, and strut
slowly while giving a
characteristic gobbling call.
16. Habitat:
• The wild turkey prefers
woodlands near water.
Food:
• It eats seeds, insects, and
an occasional frog or
lizard.
17. Turkeys Can Fly?
• Wild turkeys feed on the
ground, which might
explain the myth of their
flight lessness. They can in
fact soar for short bursts
at up to 55 mph.
18. Regional Differences:
• Wild Turkeys in the Rocky Mountains tend to have whitish tips to the
rump and tail feathers, whereas other populations have rusty tail tips.
Eastern group Western group
19. Juvenile:
• Juvenile can leave the
nest upon hatching, but
mothers care for their
young into the first fall.
20. Eggs:
• Turkey lays about two eggs per
week.
• A turkey egg weighing 85 g
contains 55.9% albumen, 32.3%
yolk, and 11.8% shell.
21. References:
• New World Encyclopedia (Turkey-bird)
• Encyclopedia Britannica (Turkey-bird)
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Turkey-bird)
• Wikipedia (Turkey-bird)
