Lynde Shores near Whitby is a good place to see Wild Turkeys.

Here are 10 facts about Wild Turkeys.

#1 Wild Turkeys are very large, plump birds with long legs, wide, rounded tails, and a small head on a long, slim neck. (allaboutbirds.org)

#2 Turkeys are dark overall with a bronze-green iridescence to most of their plumage. (allaboutbirds.org)

#3 Male turkeys grows a cluster of long feathers from the center of the chest. This cluster is known as the turkey’s beard. (beautyofbirds.com)

#4 Turkeys travel in flocks and search on the ground for nuts, berries, insects, and snails. (allaboutbirds.org)

#5 At night, turkeys fly up into trees to roost in groups.  (allaboutbirds.org)

#6 Wild Turkeys live in mature forests, particularly nut trees such as oak, hickory, or beech, interspersed with edges and fields. You may also see them along roads and in woodsy backyards. After being hunted out of large parts of their range, turkeys were reintroduced and are numerous once again. (allaboutbirds.org)

#7 Adult male turkeys are called gobblers or toms, females are called hens. Young chicks are poults, while juvenile males are jakes and juvenile females are jennies. (birdwatchingdaily.com)

#8 The Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo) is one of only two birds native to North America that has been regularly domesticated, the other being the Muscovy Duck. (birdwatchingdaily.com)

#9 An adult turkey has 5,000 to 6,000 feathers on its body. (birdwatchingdaily.com)

#10 The English name of the bird may be a holdover from early shipping routes that passed through the country of Turkey on their way to delivering the birds to European markets. (allaboutbirds.org)

NATURE POETRY

Nay, the ordinary things in Nature,

would be greater miracles than the extraordinary,

which we admire most,

if they were done but once.   – John Donne (1572–1631)

Miles Hearn