Turkeys are mainly vegetarian, but about fifteen percent of their diet consists of insects and other small invertebrates. The wild turkey eats a wide variety of plant and animal foods. During the spring and summer, they can be found feeding on insects, berries, green leaves and grass seeds. Often, turkeys feed in fields of alfalfa, searching for insects which are abundant there. During the fall and winter, turkeys feed more on acorns and fruits of trees like hop hornbeam, maple, ash, pine, and beech.
Turkeys also seek out corn, wheat, oats, and other grains in agricultural fields.
In order to find food in the fall and winter, the turkey will vigorously scratch and turn over dried leaves and decaying vegetation that blankets the forest floor. While walking through the fields during the winter one may see scratch marks caused by turkeys. The turkeys scratch through the snow in order to find their food. They also take advantage of the pawing ability of the deer. They often look for food where deer have pawed through the snow.