The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is an adaptable, omnivorous bird found across a wide range of North American environments. Its highly varied diet reflects an ability to consume both plant and animal matter, allowing it to thrive in diverse habitats, from arid grasslands to dense eastern forests. A turkey’s diet changes dramatically based on geographic location and the seasonal availability of resources.
The Core Diet of Wild Turkeys
The primary sustenance for adult wild turkeys is a combination of plant matter and invertebrates, making them true omnivores. While they will eat nearly anything available, a significant portion of their annual diet consists of plant-based foods. This includes the seeds of grasses and forbs, along with tender green shoots and buds found near the ground.
The most energy-dense food source for turkeys, particularly in forested regions, is mast. Hard mast, such as acorns from various oak species, hickory nuts, and beechnuts, provides the high-calorie fats and carbohydrates needed for winter survival. Turkeys consume acorns whole or in pieces, often scratching through the leaf litter to uncover these nutrient-rich items.
Soft mast is also an important component, especially during the warmer months when it is abundant. This category includes a variety of fruits and berries, such as wild grapes, blackberries, huckleberries, and cherries. These provide sugars and antioxidants that supplement the drier fare of seeds and nuts.
Wild turkeys also actively seek out animal matter, which provides necessary protein and other nutrients. Their invertebrate prey includes a wide range of insects, such as grasshoppers, beetles, grubs, caterpillars, and spiders. They will also consume snails and slugs.
While insects are the main animal food source, turkeys occasionally consume small vertebrates. They have been documented eating small reptiles, such as lizards and snakes, and amphibians like salamanders and frogs. Turkeys that live near agricultural fields will opportunistically feed on waste grain left behind after harvest.
Foraging Methods and Habitat Use
Wild turkeys spend a substantial portion of their day foraging, primarily using a characteristic ground-based method. The most recognizable foraging behavior is the “scratching” motion, where they use their strong feet to sweep aside leaf litter and soil. This action is performed to expose buried food items like seeds, hidden insects, and fallen mast.
Once food is uncovered, the turkey uses its beak to peck at and consume the item. Since they lack teeth, food is stored temporarily in a muscular pouch called the crop before moving to the gizzard for grinding and digestion. Turkeys will also strip seed heads directly from grasses and low-lying plants or hop up onto low branches to pluck berries and buds.
Foraging is often a social activity, with turkeys moving through their environment in flocks, especially during the non-breeding seasons. They rely heavily on their sharp eyesight to spot potential food and predators. Their hearing is also well-developed to locate moving insects or other flock members.
Turkeys prefer to forage in a mixture of habitats that offer both food and cover. They frequently use open woodland areas, forest edges, and clearings where food is accessible and visibility is good. Riparian zones and agricultural fields are also favored, as they tend to concentrate a diverse array of plant seeds, insects, and waste grains.
Dietary Needs of Poults and Seasonal Variation
The nutritional requirements of wild turkeys change significantly based on their age and the time of year. Newly hatched turkeys, called poults, have a specialized diet driven by the need for rapid growth and feather development. For the first few weeks of life, a poult’s diet is almost entirely composed of invertebrates. This high-protein diet, consisting of insects like grasshoppers and beetles, is necessary for tissue construction and the growth of flight feathers. Poults are dependent on finding soft-bodied, easily digestible insects until they are about three to four weeks old. As poults mature, they gradually incorporate more plant matter into their diet.
Adult turkey diets undergo clear seasonal shifts based on food availability. Spring and summer diets are characterized by an increased consumption of green vegetation, forbs, and a higher proportion of insects. This is especially true for nesting hens needing protein. This period is when they capitalize on the abundance of fresh growth and invertebrates.
As autumn arrives, the diet transitions toward high-energy carbohydrates and fats found in hard mast, such as acorns and hickory nuts. This reliance on nuts is crucial for building up fat reserves needed for surviving the cold winter months. During winter, when snow or frozen ground limits access to buried food, turkeys rely on stored mast, seeds, buds, or evergreen foliage found above the snow line.