When you sit down for your Thanksgiving meal, remember the wild turkey.

It’s probably not the turkey that’s on your table, which is most likely a Broadbreasted White – a domesticated bird bred for a lot of breast meat.twinturkes.jpg

We’re talking about the bird Ben Franklin called a “bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.”

Franklin thought the wild turkey should be the nation’s bird, not the eagle, which he described as a “bird of bad moral character” that stole meals from the “fishing hawk” (osprey) and was so cowardly that it would flee from a kingbird.

Turkeys were domesticated by Native Americans and were brought to Europe in the 1500s. According to a 2002 article in Conscious Choice magazine:

“While the popular belief is that the Pilgrims came to the New World and found forests filled with wild turkeys with which to celebrate the first Thanksgiving, the truth is that they brought domestic turkeys with them when they left England in 1620.”

Wild turkeys are a comeback bird. Their numbers have increased dramatically. Here are some facts from the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Wild Turkey Facts

  • In the 1930s, the wild turkey was nearly extinct when habitat was destroyed. Successful breeding and reintroduction programs have made wild turkeys fairly common, even in cities.
  • There are five subspecies of wild turkeys in North America — Eastern, Osceola (Florida), Rio Grande, Merriam’s and Gould’s. The Eastern is the most common.
  • More than 5,000 feathers cover the body of an adult turkey. Feathers are iridescent with varying colors of red, green, copper, bronze and gold.
  • Male turkeys (gobblers) are more colorful; females (hens) are drab land help camouflage her.
  • Wild turkeys see well during the day and poorly at night.
  • Turkeys can run up to 25 mph, and fly up to 55 mph.