Turkey facts for Thanksgiving!
Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving with the iconic turkey centerpiece, it is hard to ignore that the turkey is somewhat synonymous with this national holiday. Here are some facts about turkeys for you to share around the table at Thanksgiving this year.
A turkey's head and throat will change color depending on its mood. When a turkey is excited, it will turn blue. When it is threatened or stressed, it will turn red.
A turkey's vision is better than a humans, and they can see in color - during the day it can see up to 3x better than we can, and its field of vision is 270 degrees! They also have very good hearing...though they don't have ears on the outside of their bodies!
Turkeys love to play and are very affectionate. With their good vision, they will learn to recognize faces and if they like you, may even come over to be pet and cuddled!
The tail fan of a male turkey has about 18 feathers.
Wild turkeys sleep in trees to avoid predators (this is called roosting).
Wild turkeys can run up to 25 mph and fly as fast as 55 mph.
You can tell the gender of a turkey by its...poop! Males make a spiral shaped poop and females make a J shaped poop!
Ben Franklin called the turkey a "bird of courage" and wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States, rather than the Bald Eagle. Imagine how that would have changed our Thanksgiving table!!
I hope you enjoy these turkey facts! If you celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey, make sure that you give extra thanks for the turkey on your table, they truly are remarkable animals!
Stay Wild and Free,
Michelle