Heads of hens are somewhat feathered with smaller, darker feathers extending up from the back of the neck. The largest toms can weigh in at over 25 lbs! The heads of gobblers (adult toms) are generally bare and blue with a hint of pink and red, but colors can change with the mood of the tom. The wild turkey is the largest upland game bird in North America with average adult females, or hens, weighing 8-12 lb and adult males, or toms, weighing 10-20 lb. Today, Maine has around 60,000 turkeys, to the delight of both hunters and nature lovers but to the dismay of some who feel they can be a nuisance. Finally, the populations survived, and Fish and Wildlife was able to continue transplanting the birds north. In 1978, Maine Fish and Wildlife biologists brought 41 wild turkeys from Vermont and released them in the southernmost towns of York and Eliot. In the 1960s, fish and game clubs tried to transplant birds to Bangor and Windham, but those populations failed as well. Graphic by Nrg800 (CC BY-SA 3.0)Įfforts to bring back the wild turkey to Maine began in 1942 when Fish and Game officials released 24 birds on Swan’s Island in Penobscot Bay, but the birds did not do well on the island. The modern-day range of the wild turkey extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. Overhunting and habitat loss decimated turkey populations until they were all but lost to New England in the early 1800s. But sadly, even as Franklin defended the noble turkey in his writings, it was vanishing from the New England countryside. Turkeys are strong and clever, especially if they need to defend and protect their young. Franklin viewed the eagle as a coward, especially compared with the wild turkey who can fly up to 60 miles per hour and distances of more than a mile, can, in a sprint, outrun a galloping horse for a short distance. Wild turkeys are quite impressive birds! Ben Franklin famously praised the wild turkey as a better national symbol than the bald eagle. Turkeys spotted in the CELT office driveway fall 2022
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