Volume 5, Plate II / Ornithology (Birds)

Turkey (Female and Young)

Meleagris gallopavo

Truly indigenous to North America, the Wild Turkey ranges from the north-western United States to the Isthmus of Darien, a fine cock reaching four feet and weighing fifteen to forty pounds, his plumage gleaming golden-bronze tinged with blue, violet, and green. The males gobble and strut in the breeding season, feed on acorns, mast, berries, and insects, cross rivers in great flocks, and are taken by hunters and pens.