by Ramona Taylor

Created on: November 06, 2009

What's Thanksgiving without family, without friends or more importantly without turkey? The Thanksgiving celebration seems remiss without some talk of turkey. After all, Thanksgiving is sometimes referred to as Turkey Day. Whether with gravy, cranberry sauce or grandma's famous stuffing, this famous fowl is a central theme for most special celebrations, but what do we really know about Thanksgiving holiday's most famous fowl?

What's in a Name

There is a lot of confusion of how turkeys got their name. Some attribute the name to Christopher Columbus, who discovered wild turkeys in the New World. Thinking turkeys were in the peacock family, he referred to them as tuka. Native Americans were, of course, familiar with the fast running fowl and named them firkee. There are others who believe that the turkey is named for the country Turkey. Wild turkeys were sold by Turkish merchants and so many referred to the fowl as a turkey bird.

Not Just for Dinner

Scientist believe that turkeys have lived in North America for almost ten million years. They were a staple of North American indigenous people's diet for centuries. However, they were used for more than just meat. The turkey's feathers were used to adorn ceremonial clothing and stabilize arrows. The tom, or male turkey's, spurs were used as arrowheads and the turkey's bones were used to make callers.

With the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, turkey lovers would be pleased to know that the Sesame Street's famous Big Bird is clothed in nearly 4,000 white turkey feathers.

Also, turkey skin can be used liked leather. It has been used to make cowboy boots and belts.

The Turkey versus the Eagle

When our forefathers were debating possible symbols of our nation, they considered a rattlesnake, dove, rooster and a phoenix as well as the bald eagle. However, Benjamin Franklin had privately mused, in a letter to his daughter, that the wild turkey would have been a better choice. Franklin had thought the bald eagle was a lazy bird with poor moral character. He felt the wild turkey was more respectable and a fowl that demonstrated great courage.

Fowl Facts

While domesticated turkeys are not flyers, wild turkeys can glide as far as a mile. Turkeys have been known to fly for short distances at 55 miles per hour. They can run between 18-20 miles per hour.

Turkeys are considered part of the pheasant family and large groups of them, as the same as other birds, are called a flock. They do not see well at night, but have keen sense

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