Other Free Encyclopedias :: Animal Life Resource :: Birds Scientific Reference - Vol 2 :: Fowls and Pheasants: Phasianidae - Behavior And Reproduction, Fowls And Pheasants And People, Wild Turkey (meleagris Gallopavo): Species Accounts - PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS

Fowls and Pheasants: Phasianidae - Fowls And Pheasants And People

Phasianidae is arguably the most important bird family to the human population because they are hunted in the wild and raised domestically for their meat and feathers.

TURKEY TRIVIA

  • Ben Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national bird, not the bald eagle.
  • Despite being so huge, turkeys roost in trees at night.
  • Turkeys "dust off" their feathers by rolling in ant hills and decayed logs.
  • Male turkeys have beards.
  • Forty-nine states have spring wild turkey hunting seasons (Alaska doesn't have any wild turkeys).
  • Wild turkeys can run up to 12 miles per hour (19.3 kilometers per hour) for short distances.
  • They can fly at 55 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour) for short distances.
  • Turkeys see in color.
  • Turkeys have heart attacks, as was proven when the U.S. Air Force was doing test runs to break the sound barrier. Wild turkeys nearby dropped dead.

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