The difference between wild and domestic turkeys

Wild & Domestic Turkeys
by Charles Ruth, SCDNR Big Game Program Coordinator

While sitting down to enjoy turkey during the Thanksgiving holiday, remember that although wild and domestic turkeys are genetically the same species, that’s about where the similarity ends.
“The wild turkey in a sprint can outrun a galloping horse for a short distance,” said Charles Ruth, Big Game Program coordinator for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). “Although it is one of the largest game birds, weighing up to 25 pounds, it can fly distances of more than a mile, sometimes at speeds of 55 miles per hour.”
Don’t ask a barnyard bird to try any of those feats! The domestic turkey lost its ability to fly through selective breeding that created heavier, broad-breasted birds, a feature much desired by chefs and commercial turkey producers. The shorter legs of the domestic turkey also mean it can’t run as well as its wild cousin.
In contrast to the heavier domestic bird, the wild turkey is slim, tall and long-legged. Factor in its keen eyesight, hearing and native cunning, and the wild turkey makes a difficult target for human and animal hunters alike.

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/2019/nov/nov25_turkeys.php?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=