The male wild turkey has a conspicuously bright coloring of plumage. It is usually iridescent brown. In the way of attracting females, they are very much like peacocks. They have fan-like fancy tails and a cocky strut.
They occupy a comfortable position on trees and gobble for hens. Courtship ritual is reminiscent of some exquisite dance.
The wild turkey is one of the largest birds in North America. An adult male can grow up to 4 feet long from his beak to his tail.
Reproduction / Breeding
Hens incubate an average of 10-12 eggs for 27-28 days (in northeastern Colorado, most nests are initiated from mid-April to mid-May).
Hatching begins in May in the southern range, usually early June in the north. Young are tended by females; broods stay together until winter.
Females first breed as yearlings.
An Idaho study compared nest success and initiation rates between resident and introduced hens and found no significant difference.
