1. They run up to 25 mph and fly up to 55 mph

That’s faster than most human runners! Think your Turkey Trot can compare?

They can also fly in short bursts at 55 mph.

2. Wild turkeys have better than hearing than people

Their acute hearing is roughly 4 times better than humans, allowing them to detect where sounds come from with pinpoint accuracy.

Don’t think they won’t hear you talking about your stuffing recipe!

3. They sleep in trees

Wild turkeys roost, or settle in an area for rest, in trees. It keeps them safe from predators like coyotes and foxes.

Seeing such a large bird in the trees is kind of odd but completely normal for them.

4. They can detect ultraviolet light

Wild turkeys also see in colors, both of which help them detect predators and find food.

They also have a 270-degree field of view because their eyes are on the side of their head. The downside is they need to adjust their head to judge depth and distance.

5. Wild Turkeys have many nicknames

Adult male turkeys are often called Tom or Gobbler, and young males are called Jake. Adult female turkeys are called hens, like many other adult female birds, but a young female is a Jenny.

“Jake and Jenny sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g…”

6. Turkeys have 5,000 to 6,000 feathers

While that may seem like a lot, that’s the average number of feathers for many birds.

Other large birds like Swans can have 25,000 feathers and Emperor Penguins upwards of 80,000.

Tip: Make wild turkey sightings into a fun game by gobbling at them!

7. Their wattle and snood act like a mood ring

The wattle is the red skin hanging below its chin, and the snood is the skin that hands from the beak. Both will change size and color with mood.

And yes, the women prefer males with larger snoods.

In fact, male wild turkeys with bigger snoods have less parasites on average than males with smaller snoods, so this is an instance where size really does matter.

8. The men spar with each other

Toms have spurs on the back of their legs and will use them to spar with other males

9. Wild turkey is an uncommon food in Europe

It's rare to see a whole turkey in the grocery store in places like Germany, Netherlands, or France.

Most of the turkey available is farm raised instead of wild.

10. A cookbook is how turkey on Thanksgiving became tradition

Sarah Josepha Hale featured turkey as the main dish in her 1827 novel, Northwood, before promoting it in her magazine for its’ practicality in size and availability.

Thanksgiving wasn’t even a National Holiday until 1863 but she advocated for that, too.