Wild Turkey
(Meleagris gallopavo)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
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Size |
Male: 36″ to 42″ in length, 66″ wingspan Female: 36″ in length, 48″ wingspan |
Voice |
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Similar Species |
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Habitat |
Deciduous and mixed woodlands, riparian woodlands. |
Ecology |
Migration |
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Nesting |
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Food |
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Distribution |
Occurrence |
Reintroduced. Locally common year-round resident. |
Maps |
The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
Taxonomy |
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Class |
Aves (birds) |
Order |
Galliformes (landfowl) |
Family |
Phasianidae (pheasants, grouse, and allies) |
Subfamily |
Meleagridinae |
Genus |
Meleagris (turkeys) |
Subordinate Taxa |
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Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) Florida Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo osceola) Merriam’s Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) Gould’s Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) Rio Grande Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) South Mexican Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo) |
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Synonyms |
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Visitor Photos |
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Kirk Nelson |
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Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Bloomington Education and Visitor Center |
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Wild Turkey - Hen |
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Wild Turkey - Jake |
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Wild Turkey - Tom |
Wild Turkey Wild turkey, early evening at the Visitors’ Center |
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Wild Turkey, hen |
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Wild turkey, early evening at the Visitors’ Center |
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Wild turkey hens with about a dozen poults (that I saw). Most of them walked off into the woods, but several flew into the trees. |
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Strutting tom and hen near the visitors' center, Fort Snelling State Park |
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Gregory Gilman |
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Galliforme |
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| The Wild Turkey Hen. | Aaand the rooster... |
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Dan W. Andree |
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Wild Turkey Nest & Eggs... I came across it on a prairie in Norman Co. Mn. 6-27-23. There were a bunch of small brush like shrubs in one corner of the prairie and I walked past and a turkey pretty much kind of ran out and off across the prairie a distance away. It stopped and made some soft sounds so I took a couple photos and left. |
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I didn’t touch the eggs etc. and the Turkey hen was waiting for me to leave to get back to her eggs. First time I ever seen wild turkey eggs and nest. Just thought I’d share this. |
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Wild Turkeys.... |
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A bunch of them near a county paved road. They all looked pretty healthy and numerous. One would think wild turkey hunting would be pretty good. |
Wild Turkeys and Autumn Woodlands... |
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Wild Turkeys.... |
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Three tom turkeys rural Norman co. Mn. on April 10, 2018. They were all displaying like the one on the gravel back road to the females which were just inside the woods. The two off the road in the snow seen me so quit fanning their tails etc. and all three eventually wandered into the woods. |
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Kim Harcey |
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Turkey came to vist at my 2nd floor dining room window! |
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Molly and Robert Power |
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Ramona Abrego |
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Margot Avey |
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Lynn Rubey |
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A flock of Wild Turkey Hens in Ortonville, Mn. |
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A Wild Turkey Hen. |
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Wayne Rasmussen |
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Tom Baker |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Track |
Nest |
Slideshows |
Wild Turkey |
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Wild Turkey |
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Wild Turkeys |
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About
Here are some pics and video of local wild turkeys. |
Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this bird. |
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Dan W. Andree |
Jan. 2015 Wild Turkeys near the Gary Pines, Mn. |
About
Wild turkeys in a field at the edge of the Gary Pines near Gary, Mn. Populations are definitely on the rise. I didn't have a long enough zoom lens on to get very close to them and it was kind of cold on the fingers anyway that day. |
Other Videos |
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Wild Turkey (Phasianidae: Meleagris gallopavo) Flock Feeding in Snow |
About
Uploaded on Dec 16, 2010 Photographed west of Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (16 December 2010) |
Wild Turkey (Phasianidae: Meleagris gallopavo) Flock, Preening and Feeding |
About
Uploaded on Aug 11, 2010 Photographed NE of the Rydell NWR, Minnesota (10 August 2010). |
Wild Turkeys (Phasianidae: Meleagris gallopavo) |
About
Uploaded on Sep 30, 2011 Photographed at the Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (29 September 2011). |
Wild Turkeys, "Wild Turkey" - November 24, 2013 |
About
Published on Nov 24, 2013 Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), Gagnon Wildlife Habitat, Pottersville, Somerset, Massachusetts, Sunday afternoon, November 24, 2013, 12:58 PM - Canon PowerShot SX260 HS IMG_57409; 2:00 min. Music: "Wild Turkey-UPPM" by Mike Dowling (Other, 2:00) |
Wild Turkeys (Phasianidae: Meleagris gallopavo) Foraging |
About
Uploaded on May 13, 2011 Photographed at the Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (13 May 2011). |
Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this bird. |
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Kirk Nelson |
Location: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Bloomington Education and Visitor Center |
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| Gregory Gilman 6/2/2025 |
Location: Rochester, MN Aaand the rooster... |
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| Gregory Gilman 5/30/2025 |
Location: Rochester, MN The Wild Turkey Hen. |
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| Dan W. Andree 6/27/2023 |
Location: Norman Co. Mn. I came across it on a prairie in Norman Co. Mn. 6-27-23. There were a bunch of small brush like shrubs in one corner of the prairie and I walked past and a turkey pretty much kind of ran out and off across the prairie a distance away. It stopped and made some soft sounds so I took a couple photos and left. |
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I didn’t touch the eggs etc. and the Turkey hen was waiting for me to leave to get back to her eggs. First time I ever seen wild turkey eggs and nest. Just thought I’d share this. |
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| Kim Harcey 3/24/2023 |
Location: Cambridge, MN |
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| Kim Harcey 3/12/2023 |
Location: Cambridge, MN |
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| Kim Harcey 1/5/2023 |
Location: Cambridge, MN |
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| Dan W. Andree 10/6/2022 |
Location: Near Twin Valley, Mn A bunch of them near a county paved road. They all looked pretty healthy and numerous. One would think wild turkey hunting would be pretty good. |
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| Bonnie 5/4/2021 |
Location: Yellow Medicine County My back yard just 1 huge male |
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| Molly and Robert Power 3/24/2021 |
Location: Albany MN |
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| Ramona Abrego | Location: Northfield area |
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| Kirk Nelson 4/11/2020 |
Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park Wild Turkey - Jake |
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| Kirk Nelson 12/31/2019 |
Location: Banning State Park Saw some wild turkey tracks in the snow along the Skunk Cabbage Trail next to the Kettle River. |
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| Margot Avey 7/25/2019 |
Location: Westwood Hills Nature Center |
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| Kirk Nelson 5/12/2019 |
Location: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Long Meadow Lake Unit Wild turkey, early evening at the Visitors’ Center |
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| Lynn Rubey 10/29/2018 |
Location: Ortonville, Mn A Wild Turkey Hen. |
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| Dan W. Andree 4/10/2018 |
Location: rural Norman co. Mn. Three tom turkeys rural Norman co. Mn. on April 10, 2018. They were all displaying like the one on the gravel back road to the females which were just inside the woods. The two off the road in the snow seen me so quit fanning their tails etc. and all three eventually wandered into the woods. |
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| Margot Avey 4/10/2017 |
Location: Westwood Hills Nature Center |
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| Wayne Rasmussen 6/25/2016 |
Location: Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo |
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| Kirk Nelson 6/18/2016 |
Location: Wild River State Park Wild turkey hens with about a dozen poults (that I saw). Most of them walked off into the woods, but several flew into the trees. |
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| Kirk Nelson 9/7/2014 |
Location: Lake Elmo Park Reserve Have seen wild turkeys here for a few years now |
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| Kirk Nelson 5/18/2014 |
Location: Fort Snelling State Park Strutting tom and hen near the visitors' center, Fort Snelling State Park |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Created: 6/22/2006 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |