Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo

Weighing as much as 30 pounds, the Wild Turkey is the heaviest member of the group I’m calling Gamebirds. It is the second heaviest bird in North America. Only the Trumpeter Swan has a greater body mass. These birds are competent and agile flyers, and roost high in trees at night. Having poor night vision, this practice helps them from becoming victims of nocturnal predators.
The native range of this bird is in areas of mature forests. They now occur in every one of the ‘Lower 48’ states, though reintroduction steps may have brought them to areas where they had not occurred before (e.g. San Diego County). Their native range is more predominant in the eastern USA. They do not migrate, but remain on territory year-round.
Science recognises six subspecies of Wild Turkey.
- Eastern Wild Turkey (M. g. silvestris) has the largest range, spanning most of the eastern USA
- Florida Wild Turkey (M. g. osceola) is smaller and darker than the Eastern bird and is found only in Florida
- Rio Grande Wild Turkey (M. g. intermedia) found in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and artificially introduced to California and Oregon
- Merriam’s Wild Turkey (M. g. merriami) found in the Rocky Mountains and the prairies of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota, and the high mesas New Mexico, Arizona, southern Utah, and introduced to Oregon
- Gould’s Wild Turkey (M. g. mexicana) found in northern Mexico and the southern Arizona and New Mexico
- South Mexican Wild Turkey (M. g. gallopavo) is the nominate subspecies and is the ancestor of all domestic Turkeys
I’ve met Wild Turkeys in California, Idaho, Montana, and in Texas. There is no historical evidence that Wild Turkeys have ever lived in California, but someone thought it would be good for hunters to have them to kill, so in the mid-1950s, game agencies began importing them. Now they’re reported in every county in the state. Most of the public thinks this is a good thing, but environmentalists know these birds are wreaking havoc on the ecosystem here. Wild Turkeys eat about anything, and most small creatures, tubers, and other organisms never evolved a defense from the appetites of these large birds.

Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: A conspicuous yardbird in Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:24 10:15 |
Location:
Bitterroot Court |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X4351-WildTurkey |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:24 10:16 |
Location:
Bitterroot Court |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X4357-WildTurkey |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: A conspicuous yardbird in Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:24 10:18 |
Location:
Bitterroot Court |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X4360-WildTurkey |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: A conspicuous yardbird in Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:24 10:39 |
Location:
Bitterroot Court |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X4388-WildTurkey |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: Santa Isabel Woodlands, north of Santa Isabel, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:03:30 7:27 |
Location:
Morettis Junction |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 |
File Name: D3X9129-WildTurkey |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: Near Lake Henshaw, north of Santa Isabel, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:03:30 7:41 |
Location:
Morettis Junction |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X9207-WildTurkey |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: Near Ranchita, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:03:30 7:56 |
Location:
San Felipe |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: D3X9225-WildTurkey |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: Tamarisk Grove. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2012:03:30 12:18 |
Location:
Tamarisk Grove |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X9435-WildTurkey |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: Tamarisk Grove. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2012:03:30 12:22 |
Location:
Tamarisk Grove |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X9453-WildTurkey |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: Captured near Kamiah, Northern Idaho USA 2005-05-27. |
Date Taken: 2005:05:27 6:25 |
Location:
East Kamiah |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD2546Turkey |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: I met these Rio Grande Wild Turkeys at Bentsen RGV SP. They are one of six subspecies (M. g. intermedia) recognised by science. The mercury rose to 30°F this morning from 22°F yesterday in south Texas. I had camped only a mile-and-a-half from Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, so despite the cold, I ventured out for a couple of hours, until my hands began complaining of the low temperature. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:16 12:02 |
Location:
Bentsen RGV State Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: WildTurkey_D5X2289-Bentsen-RGV-SP |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: I met these Rio Grande Wild Turkeys at Bentsen RGV SP. They are one of six subspecies (M. g. intermedia) recognised by science. The mercury rose to 30°F this morning from 22°F yesterday in south Texas. I had camped only a mile-and-a-half from Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, so despite the cold, I ventured out for a couple of hours, until my hands began complaining of the low temperature. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:16 12:00 |
Location:
Bentsen RGV State Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: WildTurkey_D5X2273-Bentsen-RGV-SP |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: I met these Rio Grande Wild Turkeys at Bentsen RGV SP. They are one of six subspecies (M. g. intermedia) recognised by science. The mercury rose to 30°F this morning from 22°F yesterday in south Texas. I had camped only a mile-and-a-half from Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, so despite the cold, I ventured out for a couple of hours, until my hands began complaining of the low temperature. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:16 11:54 |
Location:
Bentsen RGV State Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: WildTurkey_D5X2224-Bentsen-RGV-SP |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: I met these Rio Grande Wild Turkeys at Bentsen RGV SP. They are one of six subspecies (M. g. intermedia) recognised by science. The mercury rose to 30°F this morning from 22°F yesterday in south Texas. I had camped only a mile-and-a-half from Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, so despite the cold, I ventured out for a couple of hours, until my hands began complaining of the low temperature. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:16 11:54 |
Location:
Bentsen RGV State Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: WildTurkey_D5X2219-Bentsen-RGV-SP |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo) |
Description: Wild Turkey. The last destination on my 16,000 mile expedition of western North America was the sky-Island Chiricahua Mountains. Here, in October, the deer and deer-hunters were plentiful, but the birds were scarce. |
Date Taken: 2022:10:07 14:51 |
Location:
Cave Creek |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/500 |
File Name: WildTurkey_8508490-ChiracahuaMountains |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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