A practical guide to bird watching in Sonoma County, California
(Unless otherwise indicated, all phone numbers are in the 707 area code)
Introduced by California's Fish and Game Department (in March, 1978, according to Bolander and Wight, quoting Gardner in Western Birds, (Vol. 38). According to Burridge, however, birds introduced from Texas in the early 70s are the basis of our local population). First started showing up in county records on a regular basis in the early 1980s. Now a fairly frequent sight. It's not uncommon to see flocks of 20 or 30 birds crossing roads and stopping traffic even in suburban Santa Rosa. Will fly short distances when alarmed or to roost in trees at night, but generally prefers to walk (and scowl--or so it seems). Loud gobbling of the males in the spring carries long distances. Generally quite wary. Ground feeders. Fix and Bezener note that the turkey is the only widely domesticated animal native to North America.
Further reading:
Bolander and Parmeter, Birds of Sonoma County California, rev. ed., 2000, p. 44
Brinkley, National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2007, p. 177
Burridge, ed., Sonoma County Breeding Bird Atlas, 1995, p. 57
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 5th ed., 2006, p. 58
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th ed., 2011, p. 60
Dunne, Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion, 2006, pp. 80-81
Ehrlich, Dobkin, and Wheye, The Birder's Handbook, paperback edition, 1988, p. 268
Fix and Bezener, Birds of Northern California, 2000, p. 125
Floyd, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 2008, p. 67
Kaufman, Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2000, p. 148
Lukas, Bay Area Birds: From Sonoma County to Monterey Bay, 2012, pp. 258
Parmeter and Wight, Birds of Sonoma County California, Update (2000-2010), 2012, p. 11
Peterson, Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 5th ed., 2002, p. 120
Peterson, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, 4th ed., 2010, p. 52
Peterson, Western Birds, 3rd ed., 1990, p. 158
Sibley, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America,1st ed., 2003, p. 130
Stokes, Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 1st ed., 2010, p. 68
Vuilleumier, American Museum of Natural History, Birds of North America: Western Region, 2011, p. 26
Voice: Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds--Wild Turkey
© Colin Talcroft, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Unless noted, all photos by the author. If you would like to use one of my images, please ask for permission for non-commercial use with proper credit or commercial use with proper compensation.
Wild Turkey (with immature birds), Summerfield Rd. Santa Rosa, June 30, 2012
Wild Turkey (male) Summerfield Rd., Santa Rosa, September 18, 2012
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
1990-2013 Sonoma County data. Graph provided by eBird (www.ebird.org), generated September 21, 2013
EBird reported occurrence in Sonoma County
