Wild Turkey

Description:

This bird is native to North America, and is found mainly in the central and eastern US. In doing research for photos I took in Zion National Park (above) in Utah, there is a sub-species in Utah called Merriam's, per the excerpt from Wikipedia in the Habitat section below. This is a heavy bird that can fly short distances.

Habitat:

Merriam's wild turkey (M. g. merriami)... The Merriam's wild turkey ranges through the Rocky Mountains and the neighboring prairies of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota, as well as much of the high mesa country of New Mexico, Arizona, southern Utah and The Navajo Nation, with number from 334,460 to 344,460 birds...per Wikipedia. These birds were spotted in a conifer forest open area adjacent to the Virgin River in Zion National Park, UT.

Notes:

I asked the 'locals' how this flock fares going into November and the holiday season...the official answer is they are protected in the national park. I left it at that.