Turkeys have a surprisingly complex vocabulary of sounds they use to communicate. While most people are familiar with the gobble of a tom turkey there are actually many different calls and vocalizations that wild turkeys use. Learning to identify these turkey talk cues can help birders and hunters better understand and interact with these fascinating birds. In this article we’ll break down the meanings behind twelve of the most common turkey sounds.
Gobbling – The Famous Tom Turkey Call
The gobble is likely the most recognizable turkey call. Male turkeys, also called toms or gobblers, issue the gobble as a way to announce their presence to females and intimidate competing males. The gobble is a loud, rapid gurgling sound that carries over long distances.
Toms gobble frequently in the spring to attract hens and defend their turf. However they can gobble year-round when agitated. Interestingly female turkeys can also gobble, though this is less common. The gobble is a boisterous sound that signifies confidence and dominance.
Yelping – Communication Between Turkeys
Yelping is arguably the most versatile turkey vocalization. Both male and female turkeys yelp, starting just days after hatching. Poults (baby turkeys) emit a high-pitched “peep” that matures into the recognizable yelp as they grow.
Yelping serves many purposes for wild turkeys. Hens yelp to assemble scattered poults and communicate with their brood. A series of loud, excited yelps indicates breeding interest when a hen responds to a gobbling tom. More persistent yelping may signify alarm or distress.
In general, yelping seems to mean “Here I am!” It’s a contact call turkeys use to locate other flock members, especially after being separated. The plain, unexcited yelp is sometimes called the “lonely hen” call, but both sexes use it frequently.
Clucking and Purring – Contentment
A happy, unconcerned turkey may emit a soft clucking or purring sound. Mother hens cluck and purr to their poults as they feed and travel together. Hens also cluck and purr while nesting, as they talk to their developing poults inside the eggs.
The cluck is a single, low-pitched note. The purr is a soft, repetitive rumbling reminiscent of a cat’s purr. These gentle vocalizations seem to communicate contentment and reassurance within the flock.
Cackling – Fly Down and Roosting Calls
Turkeys make an excited cackling sound when taking flight. You’ll often hear cackles as a flock departs their roost at dawn or as birds fly up to the safety of a roost tree at dusk. Cackles are loud, with around a dozen notes increasing in pitch.
Cackling indicates alertness and seems to stimulate flock movement and coordination. The cacophony of cackles when turkeys fly down from a roost tree is a thrilling wildlife chorus to experience.
Cutting – Signs of Aggression
A cutting call, produced only by females, signals potential conflict between hens. This strained, loud call is thought to communicate annoyance or indignation.
For example, if two hens are yelping back and forth to a male, the dominant hen may cut to warn the subordinate female away. Cutting often leads to confrontations meant to establish dominance within the flock’s pecking order.
Drumming and Spitting – Male Courtship Displays
Male turkeys also produce non-vocal sounds as part of their breeding displays. Drumming is a vibration created by males as air moves across specialized feathers when they strut and puff themselves up. The drumming sound resonates from deep in the tom’s chest.
Toms also spit or blow air through their nostrils as a show of power and virility when fanning their tails to court females. These sounds accentuate the dramatic visual displays involved in turkey mating rituals.
Putting – Alarm or Danger Calls
Putting describes the abrupt warning clucks turkeys make to signal danger. Hens typically putt loudly when detecting a threat to alert their flock mates and offspring.
An alarmed hen may utter just one sharp putt or a string of multiple, rapid putts. She will then freeze and listen intently to gauge the degree of danger. Other birds often stop all activity when they hear putting to listen for the source of threat themselves.
Tree Calling – Roosting Communication
Turkeys exchange soft tree calls as they settle into roosts for the night. Tree calling involves low clucks, purrs, and yelps made between flock members after arriving at the roosting site.
Tree calls seem to provide reassurance once birds have gathered for the evening and are safely perched in trees. Their peaceful vocalizations signal contentment and help maintain contact in the fading evening light.
Lost Calls – Young Turkey Communication
Young turkeys under four months old make high-pitched whistles and yelps when lost and trying to locate the rest of the brood. These “kee-kee” whistle calls often have a three-note structure and sound distressed. If a poult becomes separated from its mother and siblings, its loud lost calling helps the hen find her chick.
Assembly Calling – Maternal Communication
Mother turkeys make a unique series of loud, shrill yelps to summon their young poults and assemble scattered chicks. This urgent, far-carrying assembly call is one of the first vocalizations imprinted on baby turkeys.
The assembly yelp is elongated and exaggerated compared to the normal yelp. Its unmistakable maternal nature quickly teaches vulnerable chicks to gather to the protective hen.
Understanding Turkey Talk
As you can see, turkeys have an extensive vocabulary for communicating their needs, thoughts, and emotions. Gobbles get all the fame, but other turkey calls speak volumes too. Learning some “turkey talk” enhances any encounter with these fascinating birds. Whether you’re hunting, birding, or just listening from afar, it’s incredibly interesting to pick out the purpose behind the diverse vocalizations of wild turkeys.
There are a wide variety of different sounds or vocalizations made by wild turkeys. Listen to them here.
There are many factors that go into successfully hunting wild turkeys, including calling them at the right place at the right time. Knowing the distinctly different sounds wild turkeys make in specific situations will increase you chances for a successful harvest and make you an all-around better wild turkey hunter.
Sounds courtesy of Denny Gulvas of Gulvas Wildlife Adventures.
The adult hen assembly call is a series of loud yelps, usually a little more emphatic and longer than a standard series of yelps. The assembly yelp is used by a hen to assemble her flock or young poults. It is a good call in the fall when trying to call a scattered flock back together. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The cluck consists of one or more short, staccato notes. The plain cluck often includes two or three single note clucks. Its generally used by one bird to get the attention of another and a good call to reassure an approaching gobbler that a hen is waiting for him. This is a great call while trying to encourage gobbler to come into range if he starts to hang up. It can also be used while birds are still on the roost to subtly let a gobbler know you are there. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The cluck and purr is a cluck followed by a rolling, almost staccato call. It is often associated with flock talk or the feeling of contentment. Typically not a loud call, though sometimes it can be amplified, it is good for reassuring turkeys as they get close to your position. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Loud, sharp clucks that are often mixed with yelping. Cutting is a sign that turkeys are excited, not alarmed. Cutting has several uses in hunting. If a gobbler is henned up, and one of the hens is cutting, you can cutt back in an attempt to bring her to you. You will want to mimic her calls, while cutting off her vocalizations and being a bit more excited. The goal with this tactic is to lure a dominate hen to you for a fight, often times bringing the gobbler with her. You can also cutt when you have tried soft calling to a gobbler that is hung up. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Similar sounds and notes as a plain yelp but much more excited, rapid and with more volume. This is not a sign of alarm, but indicates that a turkey is worked up about something. If a gobbler is henned up, you might be able to bring him to you by picking a fight with the dominate hen in the flock. Yelp at her excitedly, cut off her vocalizations with your own calls and you might lure the hen, and the gobbler with her, to you. You can also use an excited yelp when you have tried soft calling to a gobbler that is hung up. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Fly Down or Fly-up Cackle
A cackle usually consists of three to 10 irregularly spaced notes, loud and staccato, increasing in pitch as the call nears its end. The cackle is generally associated with leaving the roost, but can also be heard when a bird is flying up to a roost. A fly-down cackle is good call to tell a gobbler that a hen is on the ground. However, a fly-down cackle often works best if the gobbler is already on the ground before you call. Otherwise, the tom may stay on the roost; waiting for what he thinks is a hen turkey to come to him before he flies down. A fly-up cackle can also be a good tool when trying to locate roosted toms, as it may get a roosted tom to gobble. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The gobble is a loud, rapid gurgling sound made by male turkeys. The gobble is one of the principal vocalizations of the male wild turkey and is used primarily in the spring to let hens know he is in the area. Hunters must be cautious using a gobble, especially on public land where it may attract fellow hunters to your position. It can also be a double-edged sword. A gobble may draw a dominate tom to you looking for a fight or you might drive away less dominant birds who want to avoid a beating. It is often used as a call of last resort. However, it can also be used effectively late in the evening when trying to get a tom to gobble on the roost. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The kee kee is usually a three-note call that lasts about two seconds. A variation of the call, the kee kee run, is merely a kee kee followed by a yelp. The kee kee is the call of lost young turkeys and variations are also made by adult birds. Its often associated with fall hunting and is used to reassemble a scattered flock. It can be used in the spring to make you sound more natural – especially on public land where it may set you apart from all the other hunters using yelps and cutts. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The plain yelp of a hen is a basic turkey sound and is often delivered in a series of single note vocalizations. The plain yelp can have different meanings depending on how the hen uses it, but it is basic turkey communication. It is also commonly used by a hen to communicate with a gobbler during mating season. This is a basic turkey hunting call. If you can yelp, you have a chance of being able to call in a turkey. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Purring is a soft, rolling call turkeys make when content. It is a low vocal communication designed to keep the turkeys in touch and often is made by feeding birds. This is not a loud call, but is good for reassuring turkeys as they get close to your position. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The putt is a single or several sharp notes. The putt is generally associated as an alarm and usually means the bird has seen or heard something and is signaling danger. This can be useful when you have a gobbler in range, but cant get him to raise his head or stop. However, before putting at a gobbler it is best to have your shotgun ready and on target. Once you raise the alarm by putting, you will have little time to shoot and the bird will take off at the slightest movement. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The tree call is a series of soft muffled yelps given by a roosted bird that sometimes picks up in volume as fly down time nears. Maybe accompanied by soft clucking. It is generally acknowledged as a call to communicate with others in a flock. It can be used to let a gobbler on the roost know you are there. Your browser does not support the audio tag.