Eastern wild turkeys are abundant in New Hampshire.
The eastern wild turkey is the only wild turkey species found in New Hampshire. This New England state has witnessed the decline and restoration of eastern wild turkeys since the 19th century. Eastern wild turkeys are important to New Hampshire's ecology, since they prevent the overpopulation of the state's insects. Benjamin Franklin, a colonial America statesman, wanted the eastern wild turkey to be the national bird over the bald eagle.
Physical Characteristics
The eastern wild turkey is a heavyset bird, weighing up to 24 pounds when fully mature. These birds' tail feathers resemble a fan. Male eastern wild turkeys have red necks and heads, while the head and necks of females are blue. Male and female turkeys both have fleshy growths underneath their chins called dewlaps, and the fleshy growths on top of their beaks are called snoods. The male gender of eastern wild turkeys have 1-inch spurs on the lower part of their legs.
Habits
Hunters recognize eastern wild turkeys by the "gobble" sounds they produce. Gobble sounds the method by which male turkeys, also called toms, attract females, which are called hens. This noise is also used to ward off other male turkeys who express the same interest in the tom's mate. Toms also spread out their fan-shaped tail feathers in another attempt to impress hens. While spreading out his tail feathers, a tom will also drag his wings on the ground and circle around a hen. After mating, hens will lay approximately 10 to 15 eggs. The breeding and nesting season for turkeys is the spring.
Habitat
Eastern wild turkeys dwell in a variety of habitats in New Hampshire, including open pastures, hay fields and woodland areas. When foraging for food, turkeys will climb trees and search for berries and seeds in deciduous forest areas; other food in a turkey's diet are corn, grasses, acorns, oats and buckwheat. When nesting, turkeys prefer to find spots underneath the canopy of forest areas to protect their eggs from birds of prey. A wild turkey's nesting site may be identified by a depression in a large pile of leaves.
Conservation
While eastern wild turkeys are native to New Hampshire, this bird species was nearly extirpated from this state during the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. The primary cause for the eastern wild turkey's extirpation was overhunting and loss of habitat. In 1975, the State of New Hampshire reintroduced eastern wild turkeys; as a result, the population of this bird species has flourished, according the Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests. As of April 2011, hunters may hunt for wild turkeys, but may only kill one per season; New Hampshire's turkey season is in the spring.
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