Tarra Tyson
Manager of Educational Outreach
November 23, 2012
A male turkey is a tom, a female is a hen and Benjamin Franklin thought the
turkey should be our national symbol. These are facts that many of us have stored
away so we can trot them out once a year around Thanksgiving to impress our children
or whoever else may be listening. Many of us have more of this sort of random
information tucked away than we know what to do with. The question is, are all these
“facts” factual? While it may be too late to be useful this Thanksgiving, here is some
turkey trivia you can add to your repertoire for next year’s holiday season.
First, let’s clarify some turkey misinformation. Many people will claim that turkeys
are so stupid that when it rains they look up at the sky in fascination and end up
drowning to death. In fact, turkeys have no reason to tilt their heads back to look at the
sky because their eyes are located on the sides of their heads. Like other nonpredatory birds, when turkeys want to look up, they tilt their heads to the side and look
at the sky with one eye – a position which would make it almost impossible to drown
from the rain. This myth may be the result of two factors: 1) Young turkeys sometimes
die after rain due to exposure and hypothermia and 2) Some research suggests that
turkeys have an odd reflex which causes them to tilt their heads up toward the sky and
stay in that position for several seconds (scientists do not know why this happens).
Next, turkeys can fly. Wild turkeys usually roost in trees and they get there in the
usual bird way. When necessary, wild turkeys can fly short distances at up to fifty-five
miles per hour. Domestic turkeys, however, never leave the ground. Farm raised
turkeys are bred to be big so we get the most bang for our buck on the dinner table.
When you combine this extra weight with a lack of opportunity to develop flight muscles,
what you get are flightless turkeys.
Finally, here is some non-turkey trivia so you don’t get labeled as the “crazy
turkey person” at the Thanksgiving table. You may know that Benjamin Franklin
thought that turkeys would be a better choice for our national symbol than the bald
eagle. This is because while eagles are seen as majestic and noble birds, their
behavior leaves room for doubt. Bald eagles can hunt when necessary, but they are
also known to scavenge and steal food from other predators. In addition, the bald
eagle’s call is a high pitched squeaky sort of sound. When you hear an eagle make an
impressive scream, what you are really hearing is the sound of a red tailed hawk.
Popular opinion seems to be that the eagle’s call is not nearly regal enough for this
great nation so it almost always gets a James Earl Jones style voice over on the big
screen.
As you continue to enjoy your Thanksgiving left overs, don’t be afraid to roll some
of your new knowledge out for your friends. Together you may realize this much
derided bird is actually a great American legacy.