Wild Turkeys aren't the same plump birds that adorn dinner tables at Thanksgiving. Lean and strong, they are more intelligent than their domesticated counterparts and have longer legs and necks. Male turkeys, known as toms or gobblers, weigh about 16 pounds. Female turkeys, called hens, average around nine pounds. An adult turkey stands about four feet tall and measures four feet in length from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail.

Except for their heads and necks, turkeys are covered in dark, brassy feathers that help them to blend in with their surroundings. The bare skin on the throat and head of a turkey can change color from flat gray to striking shades of red, white, and blue when the bird becomes distressed or excited.

Turkeys spend a good part of their day looking for food. Though acorns are among their favorite meals, their diet also includes berries, greens, grains, and insects. Turkeys feed in fields and meadows, where they peck for insects in the grass and scratch through the dirt looking for seeds. Unlike many other birds, which migrate south for the winter, turkeys spend the entire year in roughly the same location. This means that as the weather gets colder, turkeys must be particularly resourceful and persistent in their search for food.

Turkeys feed, travel, and roost in flocks, in part because greater numbers offer more protection. At dusk, flocks of turkeys sleep safely together in the branches of tall trees. As soon as dawn breaks, they leave the roost and once again begin searching for food.

When it comes time to lay eggs, turkey hens make their nests on the ground in a secluded area. After making a shallow depression and lining it with dried leaves, a hen lays ten to eighteen tan and speckled brown eggs, which blend in easily with the forest undergrowth. After four weeks, the chicks, called poults, hatch. Until the poults learn to fly, the mother roosts on the ground with them, keeping them warm at night and leading them to insect-rich grassy areas during the day to feed. After two weeks and a lot of practice, the poults can fly well enough to roost in trees with the rest of the flock.