Do yard birds fly?

[Jim Kraft]

It's hard to fly like an eagle when you are stuck with a bunch of turkeys. My wife took this picture out our front picture window yesterday. Guess they are waiting around for thanksgiving.

[Louis Rankin]

3 Jakes, 2 hens, and two poults.  Yes, indeed wild turkeys can fly, and for longer distance than you would think.

[George]

Yes Jim, as a matter of fact they do. There are some turkeys around my home, which is on the edge of some woods.

I once heard a loud flapping as I went around my garage and observed a wild turkey flying up into a tree. It landed on a too-small branch and had to take flight again and find a larger one. They make a loud flap as they fly.

Several years later one was "trapped" in my back yard inside the fence and was pacing back and forth to find a way out. I slowly went over and opened a gate, then walked around so it would have a clear path to the gate. It got scared and took to flight. Once it got above the fence, it glided down a slope and landed about a hundred feet away. Beautiful glide.

Not sure if they can fly when they get fully grown. And of course, domestic turkeys carry to much weight for those wings, plus the fearhers are clipped.

George

[Alan Hahn]

We had some who had adopted our neighborhood a few years back---this is in the western suburbs of Chicago (south side of Wheaton actually).

One day I was driving my car down one of the streets, when I guess I drove a little too close to the group. Darn birds actually came after me --in my car  . So I have some respect for wild turkeys now! At least the ubiquitous Canada geese give cars a wide berth.

Haven't seen them in the neighborhood for many years now, but last summer I spotted a flock in one of the neighboring Dupage County Forest Preserves.

[Robert McHam]

This past Saturday morning about 7:20 AM saw these eight.
I do wish I had a better camera to do the job. In my defense the shots after the first were towards the east with the sunrise behind the subject.
The first shot was facing north.

Robert

[George]

This past Saturday morning about 7:20 AM saw these eight.
I do wish I had a better camera to do the job. In my defense the shots after the first were towards the east with the sunrise behind the subject.
The first shot was facing north.

Robert

I took the liberty of lightening up the last two for you...hope they come out.

[Joe Messinger]

As a matter of fact, wild turkeys are the hesviest bird that can fly.  Adult gobblers can approach 30 lbs. in weight and are able to fly quite well. Whenever it's possible, they can glide for long distances.  They fly up into trees to roost at night and usually sail down from the roost at first light flapping their wings only when they are about to land.  Hen turkeys nest on the ground and lay a clutch of eleven eggs.  Gobblers don't play any roll in rearing the young.

Due to habitat loss, wild turkey numbers in the US were at an all time low by the late 1940's and early 50's.  Pen raised birds were released in an attempt to restore turkeys to the wild but this failed.  The pen raised birds had very few survival skills.  In the early 50's biologists began live trapping wild birds in areas where there were some remaining flocks and released them in other areas where the habitat was adequate to sustain them but there were no turkeys.  This has proven to be the most successful wildlife management plan ever attempted.  We now have all time high wild turkey populations in virtually ever state in this country.

More information than you wanted, I imagine.

Joe

[Dennis Adamisin]

Joe:
NOT too much informaton, THANKS!  Here in rural lower mid-MI we have quite a few, and they always seem to be in flocks of 15-20 or more - quite a sight.

Apparently Ben Franklin wanted the turkey for our national bird instead of the eagle.

[John Sunderland]

TURKEY! Its whats for dinner! (Sam Elliots voice) Actually, Im glad to hear the ole bird is doing well. Better than the Bald Eagle has faired since we became a nation.....and much tastier I presume!

[john e. holliday]

Can you imagine the Turkey being our national bird?  Probably fit right in, this century.  LL~DOC Holliday