The Wild Turkey is the heaviest game bird in North America and was nearly eliminated from the eastern United States by the early 20th century. Aggressive restocking programs have returned it to every state in the lower 48. Males display spectacular iridescent bronze plumage and inflate their red-and-blue bare head wattles during courtship. Benjamin Franklin reportedly preferred it over the Bald Eagle as the national emblem.
Habitat
Open forests, forest edges, and agricultural land
Diet
Acorns, nuts, seeds, insects, and small vertebrates
How common
Common
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