Female Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii
This Wild Turkey hen was a daily visitor to the garden of our house in Hawaii for several months. From time to time, flocks of wild turkeys wander through our property. Usually they simply pass through, but for some reason, this individual decided to stay awhile. My husband named her Big Bertha.
During the time that Bertha hung out at our place, she dominated the ground feeder: All the other birds deferred to her. (She also scared the bejeezus out of our poor cat!) She left as abruptly as she arrived. One day she failed to show up at the feeder, and then we never saw her again.
In case you are wondering, this species was intentionally introduced into the Hawaiian Islands as a game bird. Most source material on the subject says the first turkeys were brought to the islands in the late 18th century. Here is a reliable reference about Wild Turkey population in Hawaii, from the Bishop Museum (2-page PDF).
No comments:
Post a Comment