turkey lurkeys

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought this would be a perfect week to post about the wild turkeys that roam around our home and surrounding area on a regular basis. This photo was taken in our backyard over the summer. Wild turkeys are a noisy bunch, so you can't miss them when they are in the vicinity. I also try to miss them with my car! I'm always on the lookout for deer while driving, so it really throws me off guard when I have to dodge one of these guys.

Twelve wild turkey facts courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation:

1. The bird really is named after the nation of Turkey.  Early European visitors to the Americas saw the creature and it reminded them of a bird familiar to them back home known as a “Turkey bird.” 
2. Adult male turkeys are called toms and females are called hens. Very young birds are poults and adolescents are called jakes.
3. The wild turkey’s bald head can change color in seconds with excitement or emotion. The birds’ heads can be red, pink, white or blue.
4. Turkeys’ gobbles can be heard a mile or more away and they are fast on their feet with a top running speed of about 25 miles per hour or about the same as a human track star.
5. A young poult is up, out of the nest and walking around searching for food within 24 hours. Turkeys have been known to lay as many as 18 eggs in a clutch.
6. Arboreal wild turkeys sleep in trees. The birds are usually seen walking so many people are surprised they even fly. Though they only fly for short distances, they are speedy and hit about 55 miles per hour when going full tilt.
7. Courting Tom turkeys show courting behaviors much like the peacock with displays of their tails. 
   
8. Subspecies of wild turkeys include Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriam’s and Gould’s. There are subtle differences and different ranges that distinguish the birds.
9. A group of turkeys has many descriptive nouns, including a “crop”, “dole”, “gang”, “posse”, and “raffle.”
10. Wild turkeys were first domesticated in Mexico and then exported to Europe only to come back here later.
11. It is said that the first presidential pardon ever given was by Harry Truman in 1947-- and it was given to a turkey.  That started an annual tradition of allowing two turkeys (one for the President and one for the Vice-President) to be spared each Thanksgiving.
    
12. America’s turkeys almost went extinct in 1930 from loss of forest habitat and over hunting.  Recovery efforts, including those by the National Wildlife Federation and the Wild Turkey Federation, have been successful over the past 80 years and there are now an estimated 7 million wild turkeys in North and Central America.

Thankfully, the wild turkeys have no interest in my daylilies.

Have an enjoyable holiday whether you eat turkey, Tofurkey, or something else entirely.