No animal says "November" better than the wild turkey. They are common in cities as well as in rural areas.
They’re called “jakes” and “jennies” when they’re young; “toms” and “hens” when they grow up. You might also hear them called gobblers and even thunder chickens.
Stuff yourself full of facts and things to notice about these large, fascinating, talkative birds.
Wild at Home is a 12-episode series created for curious kids and young-at-heart adventurers from NHPR and the Harris Center. Naturalists Karen Rent and Susie Spikol uncover the everyday outdoor magic wandering right in your backyard.
Get gobble-loads of resources, stories, and activities about wild turkeys:
Natural history online reading
Find out how the wild turkey made a remarkable comeback in New England after being hunted almost to extinction in this article by Susie Spikol from the Monadnock Ledger’s Backyard Naturalist column.
Wondering what a snood is? Or why some turkeys have a beard? Then check out Wild Turkey Anatomy from the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Children’s Books
“All About Turkeys” by Jim Arnosky.
“Gobble, Gobble: One Year in the Life of a Wild Turkey” by Cathryn Falwell.
Activities
Follow this short video from the Germantown Public Library to make your own turkey caller from a cup, a piece of string, and a sponge.
Wild turkeys have exceptional hearing that helps them stay safe from predators. Be like a wild turkey and tune in to your hearing by creating a sound map. See how many different sounds you can hear.
Videos
Watch this short Harris Center Wild at Home video all about turkeys.
Follow along with Florida’s wildlife artist and naturalist, Joe Hutto, as he raises wild turkeys from egg to adulthood in My Life as a Turkey, a PBS Nature episode.
Watch wild turkeys strut their stuff at the Macaulay Library and Cornell Lab’s Wild Turkey page.
You can hear Wild at Home on NHPR Sunday at 9:35 a.m. every other week for 12 weeks.
Stream episodes anytime at NHPR.org, listen on the NHPR app, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts on Apple and Spotify.
Wild at Home is a series created for curious kids and young-at-heart adventurers by NHPR and theHarris Center for Conservation Education.
