Wild Turkeys are iconic across the North American continent – especially around the holidays. Elementary school kids make colorful art pieces by tracing their hands to show a male turkey displaying his feathers, to take home and put on the fridge.

Wild turkeys can be found in abundance in Okanogan Country, so be on the lookout as you travel the highways and rural roads around the region. They are not afraid to gather near the side of the road and walk across at their leisure! You are most likely to spot them in grassy meadows, plowed fields, and even orchards. They eat seeds, nuts, and small lizards and amphibians -- and they will even fly into trees to eat fruit and berries.

Adult males are called Toms, adult females are hens, and juvenile turkeys are called poults. Male and female turkeys both grow a loose flap of skin under their chin, called a wattle. The tom’s wattle is larger and turns a vivid red color during mating season.

Poults hatch in the spring and will eat insects for the first weeks of life, before growing enough to eat seeds like adults. Poults will stay with the hen in a family group, and often join other family groups, while they spend the summer and fall apart from the Toms, who take no part in raising the young. Turkeys are not migratory birds and usually spend their entire life within the same region, their lifespan is 3-5 years.

Areas we regularly find flocks of turkey are near Pearrygin Lake State Park, on Twisp River Road, and just outside of Winthrop.

Fun Facts

• Adult turkeys have 5000-6000 feathers
• Benjamin Franklin argued that the Wild Turkey should be the national symbol, rather than the Bald Eagle.
• Wild Turkey can be found in every state of the union, except Alaska
• They can run up to 25 mph
• Turkey fly into trees to roost at night
• They are the largest game bird in North America, with toms growing to 20 pounds