Ruffed Grouse are much smaller and more compact than Wild Turkeys, with shorter legs, neck, and tail. They are less than one-quarter the size of Wild Turkeys.

View Full Species Account

Similar Species

Ruffed Grouse

Male

Displaying male Ruffed Grouse are much smaller than male Wild Turkeys, without the turkey's bare blue-and-red head.

View Full Species Account

Main Species

Wild Turkey

Male

Very large game bird. Displaying males look almost spherical, with naked, red-and-blue head and fanned tail.

Female

Very large game bird with long neck and legs. Females are dark brown overall with even darker barring.

Male

Very large game bird with small, unfeathered head covered with blue and red wattles. Displaying males give a throaty, jumbled call known as a "gobble."

Not all videos have sound

Female

Often roosts in trees. These heavy birds fly short distances to take cover. Takes flight with a flurry of loud, labored wingbeats.

Male

Male has a relatively small, bare head with blue skin and red wattles.

Female

Very large game bird. Females have bare skin on the head and are dark brown overall, with a coppery sheen to the rump and tail. When open, the wings show white barring.

Female

Juvenile

Juveniles can leave the nest upon hatching, but mothers care for their young into the first fall.

Female

Habitat

Occurs in woods mixed with open country; often forages by scratching in leaf litter. Females and adult males typically form separate flocks; female flocks can be up to 30 in summer, larger in winter.

Rotate Your Device to Better Compare