wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, found in New Zealand Birds' bird gallery section, includes general information about the bird, taxonomy, description, where to find them and other useful and interesting information. Turkeys are more gregarious outside the breeding season, with females and young males forming larger flocks. (Deer and wild hogs eat these also). I’ve tried to get some photos of massive turkey scratches in the leaf litter early this year, but they’ve not shown up well. Mixes are designed to have the plants maturing at different time rates to keep the plots active through the year and into fall, winter and spring months. Growing Chufas For Turkey Food Plots. Raising Turkeys for Eggs For those turkeys that are going to lay eggs, allow large nests at least 20-24 inch square so that they don’t damage their tails. Older males are often solitary. In the last several decades, many people throughout the Northeastern United States have come to love the wild turkey. Most North American kids learn turkey identification early, by tracing outlines of their hands to make Thanksgiving cards. When it comes to types of wild bird seed, you'll find plenty. Therefore, at least for initial nests, hens need some residual cover from the previous year to conceal their nest from predators. The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey, and the heaviest member of the diverse Galliformes. Courting males puff themselves into feathery balls and fill the air with exuberant gobbling. Wild turkey reintroduction programs began in the 1940s, and the birds were relocated to areas where populations had been decimated but woodlands were recovering. Wild turkey hens begin to nest before most of the new growth begins in the spring. Mixes are designed to have the plants maturing at different time rates to keep the plots active through the year and into fall, winter and spring months. Common pheasants were among the first to be released, in Wellington, Canterbury, Otago and Auckland from 1842-1877. Like that certain uncle at your holiday dinner, wild turkeys will eat just about anything that fits into their mouths. While many are happy just to see or hunt turkeys on other people's land, others want to manage their land to benefit turkeys. You may as well put them in a pot with a rock for hours, then throw out the turkey and eat the rock." The list might surprise you, and their dietary choices may help us figure out what the future holds for wild turkeys. (Photo: Larry Smith/Flickr Creative Commons) TURKEY FACT #1: Enough with gobble, gobble. Growing Chufas For Turkey Food Plots. What Types Of Wild Bird Seed Are There - Which Are Best?