Male and female wild turkeys also use a variation of calls to express fear, call young, and signal others. The male produces a loud gobbling call to attract a mate. During courtship, the male turkey does a dance, swells up his face wattle, struts, pulls out his feathers and makes a loud humming noise. It is not uncommon for several female birds to share the same nest, taking turns laying on the communal eggs. Once born, the young leave the nest almost immediately.
Females teach the young to forage for food during the first few days of life.
By two weeks of age, young turkeys can provide food for themselves. At just a few months, they will be full-grown. The wild turkey has been introduced successfully to more than 20 states in North America in the last decade. After an over-eager hunting crowd diminished the population of the wild turkey in the early 1900s, this bird has finally begun regroup and repopulate its species. The wild turkey is still hunted during the late fall each year.