Long-Necked Turkey

The long-necked turkey (Giraffagris struthio) is a species of large social gamebird native to the grasslands, scrublands, and deserts of North America. The long-necked turkey is the world's biggest gamebird, growing to about halfway between an emu's size and an ostrich's size, making it a gamebird version of both ratites. Like the emus and ostriches, unlike other non-domestic turkey species, the long-necked turkey is incapable of flight, due to its size and its wings being too small for flight, so the long-necked turkey relies on fast-running speed in order to escape danger. The long-necked turkey feeds mainly on wheats, seeds, grass, insects, scorpions, and small vertebrates. The conservation status of long-necked turkeys is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the long-necked turkeys' resistance to otherwise deadly diseases and viruses, including West Nile viruses.