Around the Thanksgiving holiday, a lot of decorations and advertisements feature a similar image of a turkey: It’s often a big male turkey, all puffed out and in full strut. And we all know that turkey’s saying “gobble gobble.”
If you were lucky enough to see a turkey in the wild on Thanksgiving Day, there’s little chance it would be puffed up and strutting, nor would it be gobbling. Those are primarily the spring breeding displays of male wild turkeys.
In the fall, wild turkeys behave quite differently. So how do wild turkeys spend Thanksgiving Day? Here’s a look at their fascinating behavior during autumn.
Turkeys of a Feather…Flock Together
My first wild turkey sighting came on a late fall day in the mid-80s, when I was deer hunting with my dad. We were about ready to call it a day, looking down into a wooded hollow in Central Pennsylvania. Suddenly, a line of dark forms appeared, moving slowly through the woods, stopping and looking every few steps.
At the time, turkeys were still a rare sight in our part of the state. (In fact, many friends and relatives doubted our story). I recall how big, how beautiful, they looked moving through the hardwoods. But what I mostly remember is how quiet they were. Leaves had piled on the forest floor, loud and crunchy. A lone squirrel sounded like a snowplow when it jumped around. But these turkeys scarcely made a sound.
I’d later learn this silence was actually unusual. A flock of turkeys in the fall can be extremely noisy while calling and scratching. On that day, the first day of Pennsylvania’s popular deer season, the woods were full of people, and the turkeys were stealthy and alert.
As a hunter and naturalist, this encounter launched a lifelong interest in wild turkeys. I’ve spent a lot of time observing them. I’ve seen plenty of gobbling and strutting in the spring. I’ve seen turkeys mating, fighting, feeding, roosting and tending chicks. Their spring behavior gets all the attention, but I always find a special thrill watching them in the autumn.
The first thing to understand about fall turkey behavior is the social structure of flocks. Basically, turkeys of a feather flock together. Hen turkeys live in flocks with their female offspring. Oftentimes, several hens and their offspring will combine flocks, so it’s quite common to see 50 or more birds together. The Cornell Lab or Ornithology reports that some winter flocks can consist of 200 turkeys. Hens that were not successful hatching chicks may form smaller flocks with similar lone hens.
Male turkeys form their own flocks. Depending on population size, these too might be segregated by age classes. Young male turkeys, commonly called jakes, band together, and older males form their own groups.
All these turkey flocks will likely be located in different parts of a forest. They don’t interact much at this time of year.
They do interact with each other within a flock. At this time of year, turkeys are always with the flock and call constantly each other to ensure they’re close by. They feed and call, feed and call. These calls are all quite soft, but you can often hear them in the hardwoods if you listen closely.
Say you’re out for a hike and you stumble into a flock of turkeys. They’ll run and fly in every direction. But within minutes, they’ll begin calling. Loudly. Hens make a harsher yelp, while young chicks give a higher-pitched call, often referred to as the kee-kee.
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They will call to each other until the flock is reassembled. This may suggest an idyllic picture of a fall turkey flock, but let’s not get anthropomorphic. An important aspect of flock life is establishing dominance. Both male and female turkey flocks in the fall are full of squabbles, dominance displays and even fights – all establishing who is at the top of the pecking order. This is important in determining breeding rank come spring.
Occasionally, you will even hear a particularly aggressive male turkey let out a full-throated gobble. This is again establishing dominance, but it’s far less common than in the spring, when male turkeys gobble loudly and frequently.
Of Acorns and Roost Trees
Turkeys are quite habitual at this time of year, often living in a defined area and even following a similar route each day. As with all wildlife, where they’re found is determined largely by food and cover.
Turkeys are noted omnivores, as ornithologist Joe Smith has written previously on Cool Green Science. They’ll eat everything from fruits to frogs. But they do have preferred foods. In the summer, they can often be found in meadows, feasting on grasses and insects like grasshoppers.
In the fall, they will still haunt fields, particularly those with dropped corn or grain. But in much of the turkey’s range, they shift to the acorns and nuts – called mast by land managers – of hardwood forests. Flocks may move several miles to find acorn-rich environments. Acorns are calorie rich and turkeys spend a lot of time feasting.
In fact, I often hear them scratching long before I hear them calling. They dig through the leaves, with often large bare spots of ground remaining. These scratchings are a great way to locate a fall turkey flock.
Turkeys are very alert birds, with excellent eyesight. In the daytime, it would be difficult for a predator to stalk a flock of 30 turkeys. There’s always at least one scanning the forest. But when they rest at night, they’re vulnerable. A turkey is a large, protein-rich dinner for a coyote, fox or bobcat. And so the turkey roosts in trees, where it’s safe from ground-dwelling predators.
A turkey is a big bird, and it needs fairly large trees for roosts. I have noticed that gobblers, in particular, seem to roost in huge trees with a great vantage point, like on a ridge or along a river. I haven’t seen any literature to back that up, but it’s been my observation in a variety of habitats.
Turkeys can fly surprisingly fast in open terrain, but maneuvering is not necessarily a strength. I always find it entertaining to watch them fly off a roost at dawn. Some will fly over my head with an audible whoosh, sounding like a hang glider. But many will bounce into branches and trees as they descend to the forest floor, a true crash landing.
If you find a patch of forest with plentiful acorns and some large trees, nearly anywhere in the United States, chances are there are some turkeys nearby.
Given their fall antics – the scratching, roosting, and dominance fights – they’re spectacular birds to watch. Since they’re abundant, and increasingly found even close to towns and cities, turkey spotting is a widely available adventure. You will need to be extremely quiet to catch a glimpse.
If you’re lucky enough to have a slight snow fall, a flock of turkeys is also easy and fun to track. Their large feet are unmistakable, and due to the large number of birds moving together, they’re incredibly easy to follow. You will see how the individual birds move, sometimes straying a bit too far, then moving back. You’ll see lots of scratchings and perhaps where wings brushed snow during fights.
Follow along and you’ll see exactly how turkeys spend their days.
If you’re looking for a great adventure for Turkey Day, head outside for one of the greatest shows in the woods.
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I live on 8 acres in Stafford, VA, with about 3.5 acres wooded. Included are three lovely oak trees, which produce abundant acorns. I keep reading how turkeys love acorns, but in all the years I have lived here (since summer 2013) I have never seen a turkey eating the acorns. In fact, just last week I saw a single turkey feeding along the property, but no where near where the acorns are located. I can’t figure out why I never see more than one turkey or why they don’t eat the acorns. Any ideas?
Great article. Thank you for your observations. There are wild turkeys around us. I now may try to create a habitat for them.
Hi Matthew,
I loved your turkey article. We live in the north woods of Minnesota and I will never forget my first sight of a wild turkey. She was huge and strutted through the neighbor’s yard, then flew up on the yard swing, and swung back and forth for a while. It was so incredibly funny! We called her “turkey girl,” and she hung around all fall. She disappeared for awhile, and then showed up again in the winter. She always was a loner, but eventually two groups of turkeys emerged, male and female….about 10 to 20 in a group. I hope she is a part of that group, though in the winter I still see some lone tracks. Turkeys are gorgeous, especially when the sun hits those feathers! It is so wonderful to have turkeys here. I totally enjoy them!
All very interesting. I live in Montana. No acorns or nuts for which to forage. What might the turkeys be eating below cottonwood and aspen trees, and conifers? Mostly there are Doug firs and spruce where I live.
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for your question. Actually, there’s another Cool Green Science blog that provides details on what turkeys eat: https://blog.nature.org/2016/11/21/turkeys-eat-diet-weird-adaptable-peak-thanksgiving/
In short, turkeys are very adaptable and eat just about anything edible. I am sure they find plenty to forage around Montana.
Matt
I live in NYS. Quite a few years ago, I also had a large flock that had discovered my bird feeders! Once they figured out that the 2 humans living here were responsible – they came EVERY day – greeting us at the door of the garage (where feed was) and gathering around us if we were outside. Mostly hens & young “teenage” kids. Then as you said – the males would turn up in the spring – all showing off & making noise. Enjoyed them so much. Lasted a couple years & then gone!
I do remember when I still had my horse & rode out into the woods – could be exciting – we wouldnt see the turkeys until they exploded into the air – really exciting!! But then I’ve been in the woods & just happened to look up to see 6-8 turkeys flying silently from one tree to another – not a sound! I’m sure they are still here but dont see them anymore. They are fascinating – as is all wildlife.
What would make a wild male turkey hang out along a highway shoulder close to a tourist area by himself, side stepping the cars going by? I saw a young male turkey doing just that in Dillard, Georgia this last (October) weekend. He was a beautiful, healthy looking male turkey; and I almost had the impression he was waiting for someone. The next day he was along the same stretch but perhaps a quarter to half mile away up the road from the spot I originally saw him the day before. I wondered if he had been used to being fed by someone or if someone had dumped him there. He was only a few feet from the roadbed and I worried he would get hit. There really could not have been enough food source , either, to support a turkey appetite. The area has woods and fields but not where he was standing. The grass was very sparse with more mud than grass alongside the road. He was just standing still alongside the road, and he was not particularly afraid of cars; although when a truck raced by, he would side step a little . We were so puzzled that we pulled into the dirt parking area of the abandoned business close by. He was cautious and did not approach our car, but neither did he seem too worried about our presence. What would make a turkey act this way? The weather was chilly and the area had hard rain the day prior. Thank you for your insight.
We live in the mountains of south central Colorado at 6700 ft. All summer we have had a small flock of seven turkeys that come through our place morning and evening, and have been thoroughly entertained. One morning we watched as the lead hen fended off a huge Red Tail Hawk while the half grown poults hid in the grass, and their interaction with the deer population is always humorous.
About a month ago we noticed that there was some squabbling going on within the group, and then two weeks ago one of the turkeys was not in the group but was following along keeping a distance from the others. Now we have a group of six turkeys and the one lone one. They still come through twice a day but at different times. We’re wondering if the lone one might be a male but can’t really tell a difference between it and the others. What’s your take on this?
Hi Matthew,
My name is Joannie Spence and I live in Horseshoe Valley (North outside of Barrie, Ontario, Canada). I have had for the past 2 1/5 weeks a turkey hen that has claimed my small property as her home. She has just hung around the place ever since I made an attempt to rescue a chick (I heard the call) from some serious issue or so I thought. I found nothing but a turkey in the bush so I walked away. The next day she arrived and has been here ever since. She acts like this is her home…she may wonder but always returns.
She is currently roosting on a pile of automotive parts a friend has in the back yard. Today I find her pruning or scratching herself quite a lot, is this a usual behavior this time of year? Thanks for all your info…it’s very informative. Take care & enjoy the world of nature.
Joannie 🙂
Hi Joannie,
Many thanks for your comment. Preening and scratching are quite normal behaviors at nearly any time of year. I have a small flock of backyard chickens and they spend a significant part of each day preening, dust bathing and tending to their feathers — it’s their form of pest control. It sounds like you will have some interesting turkey viewing in the days ahead. Don’t be surprised if she one day just disappears to join a flock or search for food in the woods. I highly recommend Joe Hutto’s book Illumination in the Flatwoods. It will give you a lot of insight into the life of a turkey, in a very entertaining book. Thanks for taking time to post your comment. Matt
Turkeys in the wild are fascinating, just the way to say it. I live in Plymouth, Mass and often have the large groups of wild turkeys come through the neighborhood. if you see one crossing the road you wait for the other ones sure to follow – often 20 or so! my concern however is I seem to have a lone female turkey hanging around. my daughter and I have seen her about the neighborhood for a week or so, seeming to be ok but alone. Is this turkey doomed without her flock? I had her sleep in one of my big trees last night, close to the house and left water out on a stone wall close by her. hate to see a bad end…
Please forgive me if this isn’t the place to do this, but I’m having trouble finding reliable information about wild turkeys that doesn’t have to do with hunting them. I started feeding the local flocks (upwards of forty some now) by mistake last year in my back yard. If the food isn’t out there when they want it, they come up to the door and look in. Anyway, my question concerns one lonely male. He was standing in my driveway this afternoon, in full strut fluff. No one else was around, the flocks having retreated up the hill. I’ve spotted this lonely guy before, but I’m not sure just why he’s lonely. Any ideas? Please?
Thank You for a joyful and informative article on wild turkeys. I always enjoy seeing the turkeys that flock to our yard and roost high in the pines. On Thanksgiving Day this year I was surprised to see two tom turkeys in our yard. They know that they have a safe haven with us.
Interesting piece. I have large numbers of turkeys at my place on the east slope of the Cascades and enjoy their visits. Flock composition here seems to be somewhat different then you have described; typically in the fall a flock will consist of 20 – 30 hens, 1 or 2 young males, and one large tom.
Great article and so true regarding a crash landing. We live in a valley and often they glide overhead in groups of 10 or more from the ground to a tree on the other side. Once in a while one will misjudge the landing resulting in a feathery downward spiral.
Here in R.I. one can see Turkeys walking along the Highway on strolling on the lawn at the bank.
I remember seeing my first wild turkey flock. I live in the mountains of Southern California at elevation 6,800 feet. There are large numbers of wildlife here but seeing turkeys is rare. I expected to see them on hikes or on trail rides but not across the street from my home! What a delight!