Wild turkey Facts for Kids
Meleagris gallopavo · mel-ee-AG-ris gal-oh-PAY-voh
A big forest bird that can fly, and sleeps up in trees.
- 🏃 54 mph87 km/h1
- ⚖️ 15 to 25 lb6.8 to 11 kg1
- 📏 4 ft1.2 m2 long
- 🎂 3 to 5 years3 to 5 years1
- 🍽️ plants and animals
- Doing fine (Least Concern)
Wild turkeys are big birds that live in the woods. A male turkey puffs up and spreads his tail like a fan. He says gobble, gobble!
A male turkey, called a tom, fans his tail and puffs out his feathers to show off. The bumpy skin on his head can turn red, white or blue, and a flap of loose skin called a wattle hangs under his chin. At dusk, wild turkeys fly up to sleep high in the trees.
Wild turkeys are strong runners and, surprisingly, strong fliers over short distances. They sleep in trees at night to stay safe. By day they scratch through fallen leaves with their strong feet, looking for acorns, seeds and insects. Wild turkeys were once rare in many places, and people brought them back by moving birds to new woods and protecting them.
How big is a wild turkey?
Wild turkey in numbers
| Length | 4 ft1.2 m2up to, males, beak to tail |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 3.9 ft1.2 m1males |
| Weight | 15 to 25 lb6.8 to 11 kg1males |
| Top speed (flying) | 54 mph87 km/h1flying |
| How long it lives | 3 to 5 years3 to 5 years1in the wild |
| What it eats | acorns, nuts, seeds, berries and insects |
| Where it lives | forests and woodland edges across much of North America |
| What kind | Birds |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine (Least Concern)3 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- Baby turkeys are called poults.
- A tom's head can change color with his mood.
- Wild turkeys fly up into trees to sleep.
Compare the wild turkey
Friends and neighbours
White-tailed deer
American robin
OstrichThree questions
Books about the wild turkey, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the wild turkey for free.
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Bluestone, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Wild turkey (Q26844), checked 30 October 2026.