The Wild Turkey

Sex Differences: Male larger, with much more prominent beard, head and neck completely bare, often bluish.

Fun Fact: The male Wild Turkey provides no parental care. When the eggs hatch, the chicks follow the female. She feeds them for a few days, but they quickly learn to feed themselves.

Wild Turkeys eat a great variety of foods, including: insects, spiders, snails, slugs, salamanders, small lizards, small frogs, millipedes, grasshoppers, very small snakes, worms, grasses, vines, flowers, acorns, buds, seeds, fruits, clovers, dogwood, blueberries, cherries, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and other vegetation.

Meleagris gallopavo

Male wild

turkey

Female wild turkey

Order:GALLIFORMESFamily: PHASIANIDAE

The Wild Turkey Territories

American Robin

Sex Differences: Sexes look similar; female paler, especially on the head.

The American Robin eats both fruit and invertebrates. Earthworms are important during the breeding season, but fruit is the main diet during winter. Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day; they eat earthworms early in the day and more fruit later in the day.

Fun Fact: An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive into November.

Turdus migratorius

Order: PASSERIFORMES Family:

TURDIDAE

The American Robin’s Summer and Winter Territories

The Eastern Bluebird

Sex Differences: Male is a dark blue with bright reddish chest. Female is a drab gray-blue with duller reddish chest.

Fun Fact: The male Eastern Bluebird does a "Nest Demonstration Display" at the nest cavity to attract the female. He brings nest material to the hole, goes in and out, and waves his wings while perched above it.

Bluebirds feed mainly on insects but will eat fruits and berries, especially in winter. They will come to a bird feeder to eat suet and will readily use a birdbath.

Sialia sialis Order: PASSERIFORMES Family: TURDIDAE

Male eastern bluebird

Female eastern bluebird

Eastern Bluebird’s Territories

The Northern Cardinal

Sex Differences: Males are a brilliant red, and females are tan.

Brighter red males hold territories with denser vegetation, feed at higher rates, and have greater reproductive success than duller males.

Fun Fact: Northern Cardinals lay three or four pale green eggs, with brown spots. The female does most of the incubating, but the male helps when he isn't looking for food. Eggs hatch in about 12 days.

N Cardinals mostly eat fruits and seeds throughout the year, but will rely somewhat on insects during the summer. They also sometimes

eat flowers and buds.

Male northern cardinal

Female northern cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis Order: PASSERIFORMES

Family: CARDINALIDAE

Northern Cardinal’s Terrirories

The American Goldfinch

Sex Differences: Summer male is bright yellow with a black cap whereas female is drab olive. Sexes similar and drab in winter.

Fun Fact: The American Goldfinch changes from winter plumage to breeding plumage by a complete molt

of its body feathers. Their diet consists of thistle seeds but

they also enjoy seeds from birches, alders, conifers and other trees. They also eat seeds from goldenrod, asters, burdock, dandelion, chicory as well as garden seeds. Also berries and insects are apart of their diet.

Carduelis tristis Order: PASSERIFORMES Family: FRINGILLIDAE Subfamily: Carduelinae

Summer male and Winter male

Summer female and Winter male

American Goldfinch’s Terrories