Watchable Wildlife: Wild Turkey Did You Know? Wild turkey -
Meleagris gallopavo Photo: Richard Thomas - Turkeys can fly
40-50 mph over short distances, and they can even swim, but
usually run or walk to escape danger. - Turkeys have keen
hearing and superb eyesight, enabling them to evade predators. -
In the 1970s New York was home to about 30,000 wild turkeys.
Today there are about 300,000 state-wide. - Around 1948, wild
turkeys from a small remnant population in northern PA crossed
the border into western NY. These were the first birds in the
State after an absence of 100 years. Mature males, or "toms,"
are about 2.5 feet tall and weigh up to 25 lbs. Females, or
"hens," are smaller and weigh 9 to 12 lbs. Males have dark
black-brown bodies and red, blue and white skin on their heads
during the spring breeding season. They have long beards of
hair-like feathers on their chests and spurs up to an inch long
on their legs that they use for fighting other toms. Hens have
rusty-brown bodies and blue-gray heads. A