Turkey Bird (Interesting facts)

1.Turkeys are more than just big chickens–more than 45 million years of evolution      separates the two species.

2.Turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and fly as fast as 55 miles per  hour.

3.These birds are omnivorous and will try many different foods. Most of their diet is  grass and grain, but wild turkeys have a varied diet and will also eat insects, berries  and small reptiles.




 4.The wild turkey was hunted nearly to extinction by the early 1900s, when the  population reached a low of around 30,000 birds. But restoration programs across  North America have brought the numbers up to seven million today

5.The average lifespan of a wild turkey is 3-5 years, and the oldest known wild turkey  lived to be at least 13 years old. Domestic birds bred for food only live a few months

6.Wild turkeys are native to North America and are only found on this continent.

7.Adult male turkeys are called toms and

females are called hens. Very  young birds are poults and adolescents are called jakes.

8.A young poult is up, out of the nest and walking around searching for  food within an incredibly rapid 24 hours.  Turkeys have been known to  lay as many as 18 eggs in a clutch so maybe a fast exit is simply to  beat the crowd

9.A young poult is up, out of the nest and walking around searching for  food within an incredibly rapid 24 hours.  Turkeys have been known to  lay as many as 18 eggs in a clutch so maybe a fast exit is simply to  beat the crowd.

10.Benjamin Franklin never proposed the turkey as a symbol for America, but he did  once praise it as being “a much more respectable bird” than the bald eagle.