The traditional turkey you eat on Thanksgiving Day has a colorful history. Whereas most of today”s turkeys are of the white species and bear little resemblance to the wild birds that roam the hills, they”re still cousins of the true wild turkey.
Turkeys are distinctively Amer-ican, native only to the North America continent. There are several theories on where the name turkey comes from. One is that the bird resembles a bird found in Turkey and thus the name. The other theory is that because turkeys make a call that sounds like “turk-turk-turk,” they were named turkeys. No one knows exactly how turkeys got their name, but even so they are one of America”s most fascinating birds.
When the first settlers arrived in this country they found wild turkeys by the thousands. In fact, it is said that wild turkeys were part of the first Thanksgiving Day meal. Actually, the settlers were already familiar with domesticated turkeys because the Spanish conquerors had discovered the natives in Mexico had already domesticated wild turkeys. The Spaniards took some of the tame birds back to Europe, where they became a popular farm bird. In fact, the early settlers brought the domesticated birds back to America in 1620. Today, turkeys are popular throughout Europe, especially at Christmas.
Whereas wild turkeys are common throughout California they are not considered a native bird to the state, although evidence exists that a now-extinct species of wild turkey existed in Southern California during the Pleistocene Age.
While domesticated turkeys are often considered one of the dumbest animals on this planet, it”s just the opposite for their wild cousins. They are considered to be one of the wariest birds in the woods. Wild turkeys have excellent eyesight and can detect the slightest movement at a distance of more than 100 yards. A wild turkey can fly at a speed of more than 55 mph and run 20 mph. There is a myth that Benjamin Franklin once proposed the wild turkey be our national bird. He did respect the wild turkey because of the bird”s superior intelligence and the significance placed on it during the early history of this country, but he never wanted it to be the national bird. That title was reserved for the eagle.
In comparison to the domesticated birds — which often attain weights of more than 40 pounds (the record for a farm raised turkey is 86 pounds) — the wild turkey rarely weighs more than 20 pounds and most are between 10-17 pounds.
Raising domestic turkeys is big business in the United States. Farmers will raise more than 280 million turkeys and 45 million will be eaten on Thanksgiving this year.
A look at the turkey that graces most Thanksgiving Day tables is a far cry from its wild cousin. Whereas tame turkeys have large plump breasts and short legs, the wild turkey has a v-shaped breast and long legs. The wild bird is also much leaner and the legs tougher.
Unlike the wild turkey, which can fly, run fast and roost in trees, the domestic turkey has been bred solely for eating. Many are so large that they cannot even walk without falling over. In fact, the domesticated bird is incapable of breeding because of its huge breast. Instead they are artificially inseminated.
Most of the supermarket turkeys are of the white species. They are bred for tenderness and more than 280 million are raised in this country annually. They are ready for the table after only 18 weeks and California is considered one of the leading states in turkey production.
While most holiday tables have the domesticated turkeys, there are a few Americans who traditionally serve the wild bird. In fact, many people prefer the wild bird because it has less fat. A few farmers also raise turkeys under free-range conditions, meaning they allow their flocks to free roam over the countryside. They claim this produces healthier and leaner birds.
This year many Lake County residents will sit down to their traditional Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner and look out their window and see a flock of wild turkeys feeding in their backyards. We should remember that the wild turkey deserves a special place in history. Without this noble animal there would be no holiday birds and the good part is that it is truly American and a fitting tribute to Thanksgiving Day.
