Californian turkey

The **Californian turkey** or the **California turkey** (*Meleagris californica*) is a species of turkey that has originally lived in California from the Pleistocene to the Early Holocene and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the wetlands, forests, open woodlands, and dense shrublands across the western United States to help boost biodiversity. The Californian turkey is stockier than the wild turkey (native to the eastern United States), with a shorter, wider beak, but is largely similar otherwise. Size-wise, though, the California turkey is intermediate in size between the smaller southwestern turkey (*Meleagris crassipes*) and the larger North American wild turkey (*Meleagris gallopavo*). California turkeys spend most of the time on the ground and often prefer to run to escape danger through the day rather than fly, though they can fly swiftly and powerfully for short distances as the majority of birds in this order do when necessary. Roosting is usually high in trees away from night-hunting predators, such as jaguars and cougars, to name a few, and usually in a family group. Californian turkeys are omnivorous, foraging on the ground or climbing shrubs and small trees to feed. They prefer eating acorns, nuts and other hard mast of various trees, including hazel, chestnut, hickory, and pinyon pine as well as various seeds, fruits, buds, leaves, fern fronds, roots and insects. Turkeys also occasionally consume amphibians and small reptiles such as salamanders, lizards and small snakes. Poults have been observed eating insects, berries, and seeds. Californian turkeys often feed in cow pastures, sometimes visit backyard bird feeders, and favor croplands after harvest to scavenge seeds on the ground. Californian turkeys are also known to eat a wide variety of grasses. Californian turkey populations can reach large numbers in small areas because of their ability to forage for different types of food. Early morning and late afternoon are the desired times for eating. Males are polygamous, mating with as many hens as they can. Male Californian turkeys display for females by puffing out their feathers, spreading out their tails and dragging their wings. This behavior is most commonly referred to as strutting. Their heads and necks are colored brilliantly with red and white with a blue "cap". The color can change with the Californian turkey's mood, with a mostly white head and neck being the most excited. They use gobbling, drumming/booming and spitting as signs of social dominance, and to attract females. Courtship begins during the months of March and April, which is when Californian turkeys are still flocked together in winter areas. Males may be seen courting in groups, often with the dominant male gobbling, spreading his tail feathers (strutting), drumming/booming and spitting. In a study, the average dominant male that courted as part of a pair of males fathered six more eggs than males that courted alone. Genetic analysis of pairs of males courting together shows that they are close relatives, with half of their genetic material being identical. The theory behind the team-courtship is that the less dominant male would have a greater chance of passing along shared genetic material than if it were courting alone. When mating is finished, females search for nest sites. Nests are shallow dirt depressions engulfed with woody vegetation. Hens lay a clutch of 10–14 eggs, usually one per day. The eggs are incubated for at least 28 days. The poults are precocial and nidifugous, leaving the nest in about 12–24 hours. The conservation status of the Californian turkey is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the Californian turkey's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.