Wild Turkeys are one of the most widely distributed game birds in North America. They are found throughout the eastern United States, with a less contiguous population occurring from the Rocky Mountains to the west coast. They are Non-migratory.

Wild Turkeys are characterized by their large size, and dark plumage. They have featherless heads and necks. Their beaks are short and down-turned. Their wings are relatively short with rounded tips. Tail feathers are long and can be displayed in a fan shape by the male.

Wild Turkeys are ground-dwelling bird, and are strong runners. They are capable of flight, and can fly well when required. Turkeys are alert and cautious, and have excellent eyesight and hearing.

They spend their time grazing fields and meadows during the day and roosting in trees overnight.

Turkeys are social and form groups with dominance hierarchies. Older birds generally dominate younger birds, and males dominate females. For most of the year they will congregate into small, same-sex groups, with adult males forming separate groups from the females and their offspring. Male and female turkeys begin intermixing during the early spring breeding season, when the males form territories, and attract and defend groups of five to fifteen hens.

There are six subspecies of Wild Turkey, which differ in size, plumage color, and distribution. The six subspecies are as follows: Eastern, Gould's, Merriam's, Osceola or Florida, Rio Grande, and South Mexican.

The Rio Grande subspecies is the most common in Texas. Eastern and Merriam's Wild Turkeys are also present in the state. The Rio Grande Wild Turkey is the subspecies native to North Central Texas, even though they are uncommon in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area.

The male's legs are pale red in color. Mature males have spurs of up to 1.63 inches in length extending off the back of their legs just above their feet.

The male's head and neck are colored red, blue and white of varying intensities. Beaks are yellow, and the eyes are dark. Male turkeys have white foreheads, blue cheeks and back of neck, and red everywhere else. During mating displays head and neck coloration can vary in intensity.

Other prominent and named features of the male's anatomy include a red Snood (flap of skin hanging off the beak), red Caruncles (fleshy lobes at the base of the neck), red Wattle (fleshy lobe hanging down from the chin), and a long Beard (feathers hanging from the chest).