New York Zoological Society. 
EASTERN WILD TURKEY (Meleagris gallopavo). Length: 4 feet. Weight: 25 
pounds. Range: Eastern United States. 
This game bird provided sustenance for the first settlers on New Eng¬ 
land’s rugged coast. It has become thereby the symbol of good cheer and 
“thanksgiving.” Benjamin Franklin favored the turkey over the eagle as the 
national emblem of the United States. 
ferent direction. Sometimes two or three mother birds lay in the same nest 
and take turns in brooding and guarding; the males neglect to take care 
of the young. 
Turkeys do not migrate, but in the fall and winter they wander in 
search of berries, nuts, grasshoppers, crickets and other insects. At this 
season, males and females separate into groups, while young and old males 
also form cliques. They are strong runners and can travel long distances 
by land. When pressed, they show themselves to be good fliers, flying with 
tails spread wide and wings beating rapidly. In the presence of hunters, 
they sometimes try to escape by strutting about deliberately, apparently 
feigning to be tame birds. 
The young have a habit of rolling in abandoned ants’ nests to rid 
themselves of ticks, as the ticks will not tolerate the smell of ants. 
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