Wild turkeys use a variety of vocalizations essential for their social structure, flock cohesion, and survival. These distinct sounds communicate a bird’s location, contentment, signals of danger, and readiness to mate. Analyzing the cadence, volume, and context of these calls provides insight into the immediate activities and intentions of the flock. Understanding the specific meanings behind these different turkey sounds reveals how they communicate throughout the day and across seasons.
Basic Social Calls and Locators
Turkeys rely on specific vocalizations to maintain contact during routine activities like feeding and traveling. The yelp is the most recognized sound, typically consisting of two to eight notes that serve as a general locating call. A hen’s yelp has a clear, smooth tone, signaling her position and desire to gather with other birds. Gobblers also produce a yelp, but it is often described as a coarser, rougher sound, sometimes called a “yawk.”
The soft, rolling purr and the staccato cluck signal contentment and close proximity. The purr is a low-volume sound made when turkeys are relaxed and feeding, indicating the bird is at ease and its surroundings are safe. A cluck is a short, single note, used to gain attention or communicate location to nearby flock members. Turkeys frequently combine the cluck and purr into a soft sequence, which serves as an “all-clear” signal for birds moving together.
Sounds of Mating and Display
The spring breeding season features louder vocalizations centered on attraction and dominance. The gobble is the primary sound of the male turkey, or tom, functioning as a mating call and a territorial display. This loud, reverberating call can travel up to a mile, announcing the tom’s presence to hens and challenging rival males. Toms often gobble most vigorously when on the roost at dawn or when they hear a loud noise that acts as a “shock” trigger.
The drumming and spitting sound is a non-vocal display produced by the male during his strut. The sound begins with a sharp “spit,” a rapid expulsion of air, followed immediately by a low-frequency “drum” that is felt more than it is heard. This guttural sound is created by forcing air up from the body and signals that the tom is within close proximity. The drumming and spitting sequence is a forceful part of the close-range courtship ritual.
Hens use a call during the breeding season known as cutting. Cutting is characterized by loud, sharp, and sporadic series of clucks, often delivered with an erratic rhythm. This call is typically made by excited hens to signal their readiness to breed or to challenge the vocalizations of other hens. The volume and intensity of cutting can provoke a distant tom into gobbling in response.
Warning Signals and Age-Specific Cries
Survival-oriented calls provide immediate communication about threats, while specific sounds identify young or lost birds. The alarm putt is a sharp, single, and louder putt that is distinct from the softer social cluck used for contentment. This abrupt vocalization signals immediate danger or alarm, often causing the entire flock to become alert and stand at attention. The meaning of a single putt is clear: a threat has been sensed and the birds should prepare to flee.
Young turkeys, or poults, use a high-pitched, whistling sound called the kee-kee to signal distress or to locate their mother and flock members. This sound is a plaintive cry made by a lost or scattered bird attempting to regroup. As the young bird matures, the kee-kee often transitions into the kee-kee run, which combines the high-pitched whistle with a few yelps, marking an early stage of adult vocalization.
The fly-down cackle is a distinct, high-energy sound, consisting of a loud, rapid sequence of clucks and cuts made as a turkey descends from its roost in a tree. This vocalization is performed early in the morning, signaling the start of the day’s activities and serving as a quick locator for other birds. The cackle is associated with the sudden movement of flight, and it helps the bird announce its safe arrival on the ground.