Gobbler

Gobblers are turkey-like creatures that feed on Berries and all Vegetables, including Mandrakes. They spawn by jumping out of Berry Bushes and will quickly devour any nearby berries, whether picked or still on the bush. The more berries the player picks the greater the chance that a Gobbler will appear. Gobblers take two blasts from the Ice Staff to be frozen and drop a Drumstick and a Morsel when killed.

Behavior
Gobblers will quickly run towards any nearby berries or dropped vegetables on the ground when they spawn. If they reach the food source, they will quickly stuff the food in their mouth and move on to the next nearest preferred source within range. Gobblers can quickly devastate berry farms in this manner. Together with vegetables and fruit, Gobblers will also eat dug up mushrooms and Mandrakes that are still planted in the ground.

Gobblers will actively avoid the player if they get too close. Gobblers run faster and therefore cannot be attacked with melee weapons unless cornered. If left alone, Gobblers will wander slowly until they see food, at which point they start running again. During dusk and night, they will run to a nearby Berry Bush for cover in order to sleep.

Gobblers will still spawn from bushes during dusk and night, but they will too busy trying to run for the next cover to eat any berries-- even the ones on the bush they run to. Gobblers will move to the next bush even if the player happens to be standing in the way. This means the most efficient way to avoid having Gobblers devastate your berry farm is to pick your berries only at dusk or night. The Gobbler that appears will make a beeline for the next closest bush to hide in. If there are none close enough, after running for a period of time the Gobbler will fall to the ground-- asleep. If the player is lucky and times it right, it is possible to kill the Gobbler while it's running to the next bush or chase and kill it soon after it falls asleep.

Hunting
Gobblers like to eat most foodstuffs (like Carrots, Corn, or Berries) left on the ground. When placed nearby a Gobbler, they will slowly walk to the foodstuff and consume it while completely ignoring the character. As long as the creature doesn't make it to the bait before being attacked, it will not run like normal. If it reaches the bait, the Gobbler will instantly swallow it and run away from the player. Gobblers are not picky, and will also eat Red Mushrooms on the ground nearby. If the Gobbler eats three of these, it will die, as Red Mushrooms are highly poisonous.

Another method to kill a Gobbler is to use the Boomerang. Two hits are required to kill a Gobbler in this way. After the first hit, Gobblers will not run away; this makes Gobblers easy targets for a second strike. Not only can you kill them with the Boomering, but Gobblers can be chased into Tooth Traps-- killing them instantly.

If none of these options are available, Gobblers can be herded into confined areas such as walled pens where they will be forced into the range of melee weapons or into wild Marshes where they can be killed by Tentacles. If a Gobbler is not near a Berry Bush at night they will fall asleep, making them easy targets. It should be noted, however, that after one hit they will wake up and run away-- this makes landing the second melee strike difficult.

Trivia

 * The Gobbler's sound was voiced by Matt, one of the developers.
 * In the "customize world" screen, if you point your mouse over the picture of the Gobbler, you'll find it is in fact called a "Perd". According to the programmer, Kevin, it originally stood for 'pig bird.'
 * Gobblers will eat Mandrakes which are still planted in the ground, if they get close enough.