Episode 83: Wild Turkey – Voice of the Wild

This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild”

There’s no mystery to this bird’s call, the only thing it could possibly be confused with is the call of a farm turkey, which are the domesticated descendants of north america’s most popular game bird; the wild turkey.

While the males gobble is an easy ID in spring and summer, the contented purring sound is less well known, as are their clucks. The popularity of the turkey as game nearly did them in; they were hunted to near extinction through the 18 and 19 hundreds but through rigorous protections and a successful relocation program, have repopulated through most of their former range. The turkey is a big bird and large males are among the heaviest flying birds in the world. Look for turkeys in the morning, foraging field edges or forest clearings in woods with lots of nut bearing oaks and hickories. Here’s the wild turkey again.

Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW