Wild Turkey Scat and Tracks: How to Identify Them (Meleagris gallopavo)

Bird droppings combine dark solid waste with a white urate cap, and large ground birds leave J-shaped or coiled droppings. Tracks show three forward toes (and often a short hind toe) with no pads; walking birds leave prints in a nearly straight line, and waterfowl prints show webbing between the toes. The measurements below for Wild Turkey are quoted from the wildlife agencies linked at the bottom of the page.

• Front: Three toes pointing forward, one pointing backward, similar to the tracks of many ground-dwelling birds; size must be used to judge whether it is a turkey
• Toes: Three toes pointing forward, one pointing backward

• Digs through leaf litter to forage: Often digs and forages under hedgerows and in the leaf litter of woodlands

The source page lists similar-looking birds such as Turkey Vulture, Prairie Chicken, Ring-necked Pheasant, Ruffed Grouse, and Northern Bobwhite, but gives no verbatim description for telling them apart; do not guess based on size alone

Put something of known size next to it (a coin, a pen, a boot) and shoot straight down in soft light; low side light brings out the shape of tracks in mud or snow. For scat, photograph the whole deposit and one close-up showing contents. Note where it was: on a log, in the open, on a trail, near water. The app suggests the likely animal; confirm with the size and shape notes above.