A domestic turkey standing on a farm in Germany.

Domestic turkey at Kinderbauernhof Neuss, Germany.

Creator: Anil Öztas

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

View image source

Species record

Domestic Turkey

Meleagris gallopavo domesticus

Explore the Domestic Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo domesticus) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The Domestic Turkey is the farmed form of the Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, a species native to North America. Domestic turkeys are raised mainly for meat and are managed in farms around the world. Wild populations live in forests, woodland edges, and open ground where they can forage for seeds, fruits, insects, and other foods.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Chordates
  3. Subphylum: Vertebrates
  4. Class: Birds
  5. Order: Galliformes
  6. Family: Phasianidae
  7. Genus: Meleagris
  8. Species: Meleagris gallopavo

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
farms, pastures, woodlands
Selected regions
North America, South America
Selected countries
Mexico, United States, Canada, Brazil

Conservation status

The Ark records: Not evaluated.

Did you know?

  • A male turkey’s snood is a fleshy growth above the beak that can hang over it.
  • Wild turkeys can run quickly and can fly short distances despite their large bodies.

More images

A domestic turkey at a farm in Neuss, Germany.

Domestic turkey at Kinderbauernhof Neuss, Germany.

Creator: Anil Öztas

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

View image source

Sources and attribution