Illinois Beauty, Nature and Wildlife

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Illinois Wildlife
Thriving with wildlife, Illinois is home to hundreds of species of animals. Everywhere you go, there will always be some type of wildlife near you. Land animals such as the wild turkey and the white-tailed deer can be found in the thick of Illinois’ forests. Also, there are many types of birds that you can see soaring through the sky, like the mallard duck. If you cast a line, you are likely to catch a fish such as a largemouth bass, channel catfish, or bluegill. Running, flying, or swimming, you can find land animals, birds, and fish living among their environment.
Wild Turkey
Throughout history, the wild turkey has been a very important bird. Native Americans hunted it for thousands of years. When the Europeans arrived to North America, they only domesticated two species of birds: the wild turkey and the muscovy duck. It is so special that Ben Franklin went to Congress to say that the wild turkey should be our national bird (“Wild” para. 1). Due to over hunting in the early 1900’s, the wild turkey was completely wiped out. In the 1940’s, they took wild turkeys from other countries to a location with a recovering habitat suitable for the wild turkey to survive. Today, they can be found in all of the contiguous United States plus Hawaii (“Wild” para. 2). Wild Turkeys have a very unique appearance. The male, called a tom, is a couple of pounds heavier than the female, called a hen. Only a tom strutts. Strutting is when a tom spreads his fan to show off for the hens. Also, every tom has a beard. The beard is a length of hair that grows from their chest. In a few cases, a female turkey can grow a beard, but it is very rare. The tom’s head is mainly red with a little blue and red while a hens head is a very brig...

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...many different species of animals. While you are exploring the woods, you may stumble upon a wild turkey or a white-tailed deer. Soaring in the sky, mallard ducks can always be found flying from body of water to body of water. The largemouth bass, channel catfish, and bluegill are just some of the species of fish that can be found in Illinois. Plentiful with natural resources, endless species of wildlife can be found in the beauty of nature.

Works Cited

"Animals - Animal Pictures - Wild Animal Facts - Nat Geo Wild - National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014.
"Fishing in Illinois-Sportfish." Fishing in Illinois-Sportfish. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014.
Twesten, Gary. "Mallard." Wildlife Ecology; a Guide to the Ecological Approach of Studying the Wildlife of the Central United States. Belleville, IL: Record Printing, 1973. 444. Print.

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