In subsequent years, the increased openings will be maintained for brood habitat. Some may weigh upwards of 25 pounds. Both males and females have dark brown and black plumage, however females are smaller and duller by comparison. Toms or gobblers can be distinguished from hens by coloring, and the presence of a beard, wattles, spurs, and snood. Wattles are fleshy growths that hang beneath the chin.
Spurs are bony spear-like projections found on the back of each leg.
And the snood is a flap of skin, which drapes over the bill. The wild turkey has excellent hearing and eyesight. It makes an array of sounds including the putt, purr, gobble, and yelp. A wild turkey has a home range of 500-2000 acres and feeds on ferns, grasses, buds, grapes, berries, insects, and nuts in the spring and summer. Acorns and other mast make up the majority of its diet in the fall and winter.