Turkey is one of the most iconic holiday meals in America. It is a popular poultry dish, especially in North America, where it is traditionally consumed as part of culturally significant events such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as in standard cuisine.
There are two types of Turkeys, the domesticated turkeys, and wild turkeys. The wild turkeys are native to wooded areas of North America, and they are not the same as the domestic turkey that we serve during holidays. Domestic turkeys weigh twice what a wild turkey does, and they are raised on farms for profit. Most of them are so heavy and are unable to fly.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Meleagris
turkey Trivia
Fun Facts:
Turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and fly as fast as 55 miles per hour.
Their gender can be determined from its droppings–males produce spiral-shaped poop, and females’ poop is shaped like the letter J.
Nearly 95% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. That translates to 45 million birds!
Turkey has more protein, ounce per ounce, than chicken or beef.
White meat and dark meat turkey have almost the same number of calories per serving.
A group of related male turkeys will band together to court females, though only one member of the group gets to mate.
A 15-pound turkey has 70% white meat and 30% dark meat.
Eating turkey does not put you to sleep.
Benjamin Franklin originally proposed the turkey as the official bird of the United States instead of the bald eagle.
Definition:
Gobbler / Tom – a male turkey
Hen – a female turkey
Poult – a chick or baby turkey
Jake – a young male turkey is called jake
Jenny – a young female turkey
Flock – a group of wild turkeys
Rafter – a group of domesticated turkeys