How to identify it
Huge ground bird, 1.1-1.2 m long, with a naked head and a long, wide tail. [1]
Field notes
- Identification Sex and age may matter in regulations. Do not use a displaying adult male as the visual template for every turkey; females and young differ markedly.[1]
Where it lives
Varies across the continent: oak-hickory and pine-oak forests, cypress swamps, mesquite grassland, pinyon-juniper and chaparral, usually near oaks. Best habitat mixes woodland and open clearings. [1]
How it behaves
Males gobble in spring and strut with feathers puffed, tail fanned, wattles swollen and wings drooped; one male mates with several females. [1]
What changes by season
Turkeys scratch leaf litter while foraging, form flocks, and fly into trees to roost at night. Males perform strutting courtship displays in spring. [1]
Where it is listed for legal take
These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.
Where legal take is listed
- Alberta — hunting · 2026 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations
- British Columbia — hunting · 2026-2028 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis
- Manitoba — hunting · Manitoba Hunting Guide 2026
- New Brunswick — hunting · Hunt & Trap Regulations Summary 2026–2027
- Ontario — hunting · Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary — Wild turkey
- Québec — hunting · Périodes de chasse au dindon sauvage 2026-2027
- Alabama — hunting · Turkey Season 2026-2027 (ADCNR)
- Alaska — hunting · 2026-2027 Alaska Hunting Regulations: Fur Animals, Small Game, Unclassified Game, and Deleterious Exotic Wildlife (pp.140-142)
- Arizona — hunting · 2026-2027 Arizona Hunting Regulations
- Arkansas — hunting · 2026-27 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook (PDF)
- California — hunting · 2026-2027 California Waterfowl, Upland Game, and Public Use of Department Lands Regulations
- Colorado — hunting · 2 CCR 406-3 Chapter W-3 Furbearers and Small Game, Except Migratory Birds (07/16/2026; eff. 2026-09-01)
- Connecticut — hunting · 2026 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide
- Delaware — hunting · 2026-27 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide: Turkey Hunting
- Florida — hunting · 2026-2027 Florida Resident Game and Furbearer Hunting Season Dates and Bag Limits (FWC)
- Georgia — hunting · 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations and Seasons (official WRD guide, publuu-hosted PDF, p.16)
- Hawaii — hunting · Announcement of the Opening of Hawaii Island 2026 Spring Bearded Turkey Season
- Idaho — hunting · Upland Game, Turkey & Furbearer 2026 & 2027 Seasons & Rules
- Illinois — hunting · Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-2027 (PDF read from cached copy of the digest linked on this page)
- Indiana — hunting · Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide 2026-2027: Wild Turkey
- Iowa — hunting · 2026-27 Iowa Hunting, Trapping & Migratory Game Bird Regulations (DNR PDF; page numbers cited)
- Kansas — hunting · KDWP Spring Turkey Regulations & Application 2026
- Kentucky — hunting · Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide, August 2026-March 2027
- Louisiana — hunting · 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting Regulations (updated Aug 7, 2026)
- Maine — hunting · 2026-27 Maine Hunting Seasons (Summary of Laws & Rules)
- Maryland — hunting · 2026-27 Maryland Guide to Hunting & Trapping (official guide, linked from dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide)
- Minnesota — hunting · Minnesota Hunting & Trapping Regulations (effective July 2026 - June 30, 2027)
- Mississippi — hunting · 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons (MDWFP PDF)
- Missouri — hunting · A Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026
- Montana — hunting · 2026 Upland Game Bird Hunting Regulations
- Nebraska — hunting · Turkey Guide 2025
- Nevada — hunting · CR 26-13 2026-27 & 2027-28 Seasons, Bag Limits ... Upland Game Birds, Rabbits, Wild Turkey, Furbearers
- New Hampshire — hunting · Fis 300 Wildlife Seasons and Rules
- New Mexico — hunting · 2026-2027 New Mexico Hunting Rules & Information (v08.11.26)
- North Carolina — hunting · Hunting and Trapping Season Dates for July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027 (NCWRC)
- North Dakota — hunting · North Dakota Hunting Seasons (season dates table)
- Ohio — hunting · Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27 (effective 1 Sep 2026-31 Aug 2027); PDF read from cached copy
- Oklahoma — hunting · Hunting Seasons (2026-27)
- Oregon — hunting · 2026-27 Oregon Game Bird Hunting Regulations (official ODFW booklet)
- Pennsylvania — hunting · 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits
- Rhode Island — hunting · Hunting and Trapping Regulations (250-RICR-60-00-9)
- South Carolina — hunting · 2026-2027 South Carolina Hunting & Fishing Laws and Regulations Guide
- South Dakota — hunting · 2026 South Dakota Hunting and Trapping Handbook
- Tennessee — hunting · Summary of Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Seasons Dates | TWRA
- Texas — hunting · Wild Turkey: 2026-2027 Seasons & Regulations
- Utah — hunting · 2026-27 Waterfowl, Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook
- Vermont — hunting · Hunting and Trapping Seasons (web page)
- Virginia — hunting · 2026-2027 Virginia Hunting, Trapping, and Migratory Game Bird Seasons Guide
- Washington — hunting · 2026 Washington Game Bird and Small Game Hunting Regulations (Jul 1 2026 - Jun 30 2027)
- West Virginia — hunting · West Virginia 2026-2027 Hunting Season Dates | WVDNR
- Wisconsin — hunting · 2026 Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Seasons PUB-CS-076-2026 (updated 06/08/2026)
- Wyoming — hunting · WGFC Ch. 20 Wild Turkey Hunting Seasons (dated Apr 22 2026)
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Native to North America; depleted by 1900 but reintroduced to most of its former range and established in new areas, now found across the United States and in southern Western and Eastern Canada, and adapting to suburban edges in the East.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30
National Audubon Society