Wild turkeys are an adaptable bird species across North America. Their survival and ecological role are closely linked to their diverse diet, which shifts significantly based on what is available in their environment throughout the year.
General Diet Overview
Wild turkeys are omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter. While plant material constitutes the majority of their annual food intake, invertebrates provide essential protein. They forage for a wide variety of plant-based foods, including seeds, nuts, fruits, tubers, and green vegetation such as grasses, clover, and alfalfa. Examples include acorns, beechnuts, wild grapes, blackberries, and wheat shoots.
Their animal-based diet primarily consists of invertebrates like insects and grubs. Turkeys regularly consume grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, snails, and ticks. Occasionally, they also eat small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, salamanders, and even small snakes or crayfish. To aid digestion, wild turkeys ingest small stones or grit, which are stored in their gizzard.
Seasonal Dietary Shifts
The wild turkey’s diet changes with the seasons, reflecting the availability of different food sources. In spring, turkeys primarily consume fresh green shoots, buds, and flowers, alongside an increased intake of insects. This period is important for hens preparing for nesting.
During summer, their diet becomes more insect-heavy, supplemented by ripe berries and agricultural grains. As autumn arrives, the focus shifts to hard mast crops, such as acorns, beechnuts, pecans, and hickory nuts, which provide concentrated energy for the colder months. In winter, turkeys rely on these stored mast crops, leftover grains, dormant seeds, and persistent fruits, often scratching through snow to find them.
Diet of Young Turkeys (Poults)
Young turkeys, known as poults, have distinct dietary requirements for rapid growth and development. Immediately after hatching, poults depend heavily on high-protein foods, primarily insects and spiders. This insect-rich diet, making up 75% or more of their intake during their first summer, supports their fast growth.
Poults can rely on a yolk sac for the first few days, but then invertebrates become essential to meet their protein needs, which can be as high as 28% for the first two weeks. As poults mature, typically by late summer, their diet gradually transitions to include more plant matter, such as seeds, berries, and green vegetation, becoming more similar to the adult turkey’s diet.
Foraging Behavior and Habitat
Wild turkeys exhibit characteristic foraging behaviors. They spend a significant portion of their day scratching through leaf litter with their strong feet, uncovering insects, seeds, and nuts from the forest floor. Their keen eyesight assists in locating food.
Turkeys prefer diverse habitats that offer a range of food sources year-round. These environments often include a mosaic of woodlands, open fields, and riparian areas. Hardwood forests rich in oak and hickory trees are favored for their abundant mast crops, especially in fall and winter. Open, grassy areas and field edges are frequently used in spring and summer for foraging on fresh greens and insects. Turkeys are opportunistic feeders, adapting their foraging locations based on seasonal food availability.