Turkey
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What is a turkey?
A turkey is either of two bird species in the families Phasianidae or Meleagrididae. The common turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a game bird native to North America but domesticated for food. The other species is the ocellated turkey (Agriocharis ocellata). Similar but unrelated birds include the Australian turkey (bustard), brush turkey (megapode), and water turkey (snakebird).
The common turkey was likely first domesticated by the Indians of pre-Columbian Mexico. It was brought to Spain around 1519 and then spread throughout Europe, arriving in England in 1541. English colonists introduced European-bred strains of the turkey to eastern North America in the 17th century.
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Where do wild turkeys live?
Wild turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo) are native to North and Central America. They live in temperate woodlands in the eastern United States and Mexico. The wild turkey prefers woodlands near water and eats seeds, insects, and occasionally frogs or lizards. When alarmed, they run rapidly for cover and can only fly strongly for short distances.
The ocellated turkey (Agriocharis ocellata) lives in Guatemala, Belize, and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.
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What do turkeys look like?
The common turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) has dark, iridescent bronze and green plumage. Adult males have a naked, bumpy head that is normally bright red but turns white overlaid with bright blue when excited. They also have a long, red, fleshy ornament (called a snood) that grows from the forehead over the bill, a fleshy wattle growing from the throat, a tuft of coarse, black, hairlike feathers projecting from the breast, and leg spurs.
Male turkeys (gobblers or toms) may be 130 cm (50 inches) long and weigh 10 kg (22 pounds), though average weight is less. Female turkeys (hens) generally weigh only half as much and have less warty heads than males.
The ocellated turkey, of Central America, is smaller, has a blue head with reddish yellow bumps, bright-tipped feathers (almost peacocklike), and a yellow-tipped knob on the crown.
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How do turkeys behave in the wild?
Wild turkeys typically live in woodlands close to water sources. Their diet consists of seeds, insects, and sometimes frogs or lizards. When startled, they can run quickly for cover and are capable of short bursts of strong flight, up to approximately 0.4 km (0.25 miles).
During courtship, males display by spreading their tails, drooping their wings, shaking their quills, retracting their heads, strutting, and gobbling. They gather a harem, and each hen lays 8–15 brownish spotted eggs in a ground hollow. The eggs hatch in 28 days.
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What do turkeys eat?
Turkeys have a varied diet. They hold an intermediate position in the ecological food chain, consuming food producers like plants, and, in turn, serving as food sources for parasites and other animals. Wild birds and mammals, including turkeys, consume heteropterans in their diets. Modern turkey breeding and farming practices have reduced the amount of feed required to produce turkey meat.
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How are turkeys important to people and their cultures?
Turkeys hold cultural and practical importance. Native Americans prized wild turkey feathers for their ceremonial purposes, domesticating the birds in the Southwest. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 16th century, they encountered domesticated turkeys and introduced them to Europe.
In the United States, turkey is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving, a holiday that revolves around a bountiful meal. Turkey became a popular dish by the 19th century because the bird was plentiful and large enough to feed a family. The association between Pilgrims, turkeys, and Thanksgiving is now an integral part of American education.
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Turkey, either of two species of birds classified as members of either the family Phasianidae or Meleagrididae (order Galliformes). The best known is the common turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), a native game bird of North America that has been widely domesticated for the table. The other species is Agriocharis (or Meleagris) ocellata, the ocellated turkey. For unrelated but similar birds, see bustard (Australian turkey), megapode (brush turkey), and snakebird (water turkey).
Domestication of the common turkey was probably begun by the Indians of pre-Columbian Mexico. The birds were first taken to Spain about 1519, and from Spain they spread throughout Europe, reaching England in 1541. When the bird became popular in England, the name turkey-cock, formerly used for the guinea fowl of Islamic (or “Turkish”) lands, was transferred to it. English colonists then introduced European-bred strains of the turkey to eastern North America in the 17th century. Turkeys were mainly bred for their beautifully coloured plumage until about 1935, after which the breeding emphasis changed to their meat qualities.
Races of the common turkey found today in Mexico and in the southeastern and southwestern United States differ slightly in feather markings and in rump colour, but all are basically dark, with iridescent bronze and green plumage. Adult males have a naked, heavily carunculated (bumpy) head that is normally bright red in colour but turns to white overlaid with bright blue when the birds are excited. Other distinguishing features of the common turkey are a long red fleshy ornament (called a snood) that grows from the forehead over the bill; a fleshy wattle growing from the throat; a tuft of coarse, black, hairlike feathers (known as a beard) projecting from the breast; and more or less prominent leg spurs. The male turkey, or gobbler, or tom, may be 130 cm (50 inches) long and weigh 10 kg (22 pounds), though average weight is less. Female turkeys, or hens, generally weigh only half as much as the males and have less warty heads than do the males. Domesticated strains of the common turkey, developed for their fine-tasting flesh, may be much heavier.
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Roast turkey in many European countries has long been a customary Christmas dish. In the United States the bird is especially associated with the holiday of Thanksgiving. Turkey production has thus tended to be seasonal, though in the United States and some other countries, ready-to-cook lean, boned turkey is available in rolls any time of the year.
The wild turkey prefers woodlands near water. It eats seeds, insects, and an occasional frog or lizard. When alarmed, it may run rapidly to cover. It can fly strongly only for short distances (about 0.4 km, or 0.25 mile). Formerly diminished under hunting pressure, M. gallopavo has come back well under various state game management programs in the United States.
In courtship display, the male spreads his tail, droops his wings and shakes the quills audibly, retracts his head, struts about, and utters rapid gobbling sounds. He assembles a harem, and each hen lays 8–15 brownish spotted eggs in a hollow in the ground. The young (poults) hatch in 28 days.
The ocellated turkey, of Central America, is smaller than M. gallopavo. It has a blue head with reddish yellow bumps, bright-tipped feathers, almost peacocklike, and, in addition to the long bill wattle, a yellow-tipped knob on the crown. It has never been domesticated. See also poultry.
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