Turkey
The Bird
Where I live, and quite frankly where many people live, there is an abundance of wild Turkeys. No, not the Bourbon, but the bird. I personally am not a fan. The only turkey I like is on the table stuffed and surrounded by vegetables. Some of my neighbors disagree. They like the Turkeys that roam around. I think they are destructive. They scratch through your landscape, leaving a stinky, messy calling card, ruin the paint on your car and can be quite aggressive.
Everyone knows that Benjamin Franklin thought that the Turkey should be the National Bird (this is actually untrue according the Franklin Institute) Here are some Turkey facts you may not know.
Ancient Mayans believed that the turkey was a God and could do serious damage to humans in the dream world. https://www.ancient-origins.net/weird-facts/turkey-0016835
Turkeys sleep in trees. Young turkeys however cannot fly so they sleep on the ground for the first seven days of life. Mama turkey remains with them during that week, but daddy turkey is already looking for other ladies. https://emammal.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/wild-turkey
Wild turkeys that have become urbanized cause a lot of damage to roof tiles, cars, gardens, lawns and people. Most of the damage is not covered by homeowners. https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/turkeys-trample-rooftops-cars-in-folsom/
Turkey droppings tell a bird’s sex and age. Male droppings are j-shaped; female droppings are spiral-shaped. The larger the diameter, the older the bird. https://www.fws.gov/species/wild-turkey
Male Turkeys gobble but female Turkeys purr and yelp if excited. Young turkeys will whistle if they are lost. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/sounds
Turkeys in my neighborhood
Young Tom Turkey Calling
Franklin wrote that in comparison to the bald eagle, the turkey is “a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America…He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage.”
