What sleeps in a tree, can fly up to 55 mph, and wears spurs around its ankles?

A wild turkey!

Wild turkeys, native to eastern North America, are large festive birds that spend the fall foraging for seeds, insects, and acorns in the oak woodlands of many District preserves as they prepare for the coming winter. During the night, turkeys roost in the lower branches of trees to avoid predators like bobcats, foxes, and raccoons. Turkeys detect approaching predators with their keen eyesight and hearing, and move away from danger with a quick burst of flight.

Unlike their showy counterparts, females are smaller and have dull feathers to help them blend into the oak woodland. Females do not have wattles, most don’t have beards, and none gobble.

Males put on a show to attract a harem of females in the spring. They fan their dark, iridescent tails like a peacock, call gobble-gobble, and their gray head changes color to blue, red, or white depending on their emotions.

Wattle: Red, fleshy lobes hanging from the male’s throat and chin.
Beard: A black tuft of hair-like feathers in the center of the chest.
Spurs: Small, spiky pieces of flesh dangling from the legs.
Caruncle: Warty looking skin from the throat to the forehead.
Snood: Skin covering the forehead to the upper bill.

You're almost guaranteed to spot these gobblers at Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve.