Family Meleagridae 

 WILD TURKEY 



310. Meleagres gallopavo silvestris. 48 in. 



Female much smaller and duller colored than the 

 male. These fine, large birds frequent woodlands and 

 borders of streams, where they search through the un- 

 derbrush for food in the daytime and sleep in the tall- 

 est trees at night. They are one of the shyest birds, 

 and they have reasons for being, for they have been 

 hunted until there are none left in New England and 

 northern Middle States. Wild Turkeys strut and gob- 

 ble precisely like domestic ones. Their plumage is 

 more of a coppery bronze color and their upper tail 

 coverts are rusty, without white edges. 



Nest. Eggs laid on the ground among leaves, usu- 

 ally in dense thickets; buff, spotted with brown. (2.55 

 xL90). 



Range. From Penn. and Ohio south to the Gulf 

 States west to Arkansas. 310b., Florida Wild Tur- 

 key, found in Florida, is smaller. 310c., Rio Grande 

 Turkey, is found in southern Texas; it has upper tail- 

 coverts edged with buff. 



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