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Osceola Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo osceola)
The Florida wild turkey,
also referred to as the Osceola, is found only on the peninsula of Florida.
W.E.D. Scott, who named it for the famous Seminole Chief, Osceola, first
described this particular subspecies in 1890. It was Chief Osceola who led his
tribe against the Americans in a 20-year war beginning in 1835.
Feathers of the Florida turkey show more iridescent green and red colors, with less bronze than the eastern. The dark color of the tail coverts and the large tail feathers tipped in brown are similar to the eastern, but unlike the lighter colors of the three western subspecies. Its colorations and behavior are ideal for the flat pine woods, oak and palmetto hammocks and swamp habitats of Florida. Adult females, or hens, are similar to the males but duller and lighter colored throughout, except wing feathers, which are darker.
The reproductive cycle for the Florida wild turkey begins only slightly earlier than for the eastern wild turkey in other southern states. However, in southern Florida, turkeys gobble during warm spells in January, several weeks before actual mating. Egg laying is mainly in April with the cycle complete with peak hatching occurring in May.
This information was taken from the National Wild Turkey Federation Website. If you would like to join the NWTF click on the decal below.
