Nature Science

THANKS FOR WILD TURKEYS

Beautiful ocellated wild turkey with teal feathers and orange markings near its eyes.

WILD & HERITAGE TURKEY

No other birds inspire gratitude as turkeys do.

Native Americans were thankful that wild turkeys fed them well. And when the Wampanoags introduced the Pilgrims to turkeys, in 1621, they were so thankful, it inspired an annual holiday.

Heritage turkeys are better on so many levels. They’re better for our planet -- they don’t require artificial farming methods and they maintain biodiversity. Just 20 years ago most heritage breeds were near extinction!

Heirloom foods, like heritage turkeys and heirloom tomatoes, hold the genetic material that ensure the security of our future food supply against threats due to climate change, pestilence and disease. Ironically, in order to save them, we must eat them.

Look for heritage breeds such as Narragansett, Standard Bronze, and Spanish Black, which date back to 1874 when the American Poultry Association published its American Standard of Perfection, with descriptions of each. Other heritage breeds include Chocolate, Lavender, and Midget White turkeys.

Beautiful colorful ocellated turkey, with purple blue and green feathers.

by eyecool. “Mayan Ruins Of Tikal.”

Heritage turkey breeding and care is more humane because they are allowed to grow, live, and breed naturally. They can fly and mate, while cultivated turkeys can’t. Heritage breeds taste better because they are allowed to roam freely, yielding a richer, more robust flavor, with crispier skin. They taste more they did in the 17th century -- and that’s a beautiful thing!

Heritage breeds were created with European settlers brought turkeys that mated with wild Native American turkeys.

Two wild turkeys walk together in southern California.

By Sandy/Chuck Harris. “In Step.”

Check out Pitman Farms, Nick’s Organic Farm, Moose Manor Farms, and Joyce Farms. And you can visit LocalHarvest to find a producer nearby. Also check out the Heritage Turkey Foundation. See and learn more below.

Puffed up wild tom turkey, with brown feathers and a red and blue head.

by Gale. “All Puffed Up.”

Wild turkeys are indigenous to North America, and not found in most other places. There are 6 known species:

Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) - Over 5 million live in pockets across the entire eastern half of the United States and Canada.

Osceola or Florida Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo osceola) - Found only on the Florida peninsula, they number only 80,000 to 100,000 birds.

Gould's Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) - Northern Mexico and southern Southwest. Heavily protected and regulated.

Colorful wild turkey with brown and red iridescent feathers walks through the green grass.

by Sue, of Backyard Biology. “I’m Much Too Pretty To Eat.”

Merriam's Wild Turkeys:(Meleagris gallopavo merriami) - over 300,000 live, exclusively throughout the Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and New Mexico.

Rio Grande Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) - Just over 1 million of these turkeys live in the US, primarily in the west and midwest.

Ocellated Wild Turkey (Agriocharis ocellata) - This species is only found on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Three wild male turkeys spread their fans as a flock of females walks by.

by Rodney Campbell. “Wild Turkeys Displaying for the Hens.”

Indigenous people, across the continent, have hunted wild turkeys for thousands of years. From Aztecs, Mayans, and Navajo in Mexico and the Southwest, to Algonquins in the Northeast.

European settlers joined them, not only for personal consumption, but as a major export product, feeding this New World delicacy to the folks back home in the old world.

Bronze and green iridescent feathers make this wild turkey stand out against the green trees and grass.

by Sue, of Backyard Biology. “How Many Colors Do You See?”

In fact, turkeys got their name, when the Spanish began exporting turkeys from New World to England, routing their supply ships by way of Turkey.

by Larry Smith. “Flying Turkeys.”

Demand outstripped supply and wild turkeys were almost rendered extinct by the early 1900s. Protections and other conservation efforts have restored the wild turkey population in United States to about 7 million.

Wild turkey taste quite different from domesticated ones, with more complex flavors. D’Artagnan is one good place where you can purchase sustainably sourced wild turkeys.

Brilliantly colored wild turkey, with brown, green, and purple feathers and a blue and red head stands in a golden field.

by Olin Gilbert. “‘Tom Turkey’ … As Named By Jill…”

Read more about Beautiful Gratitude all this week on BeautifulNow, including 10 Reasons to be Thankful for Travel, Gratitude: Good for Body Mind & Soul, Walk the Walk of Gratitude: Beautiful Hikes, and You are BeautifulNow! Thank You! And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

Beautiful wild turkey, with dark brown, bronze, and russet feathers and a blue and red head walks in a green field.

by Sue, of Backyard Biology. “There Were No Hens Present, So He Didn’t Do The Full Tail Up, Wings Down Display.”

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Rear view of a wild turkey with feathers spread into a fan.

by Doug Greenberg. “Kish Meer En Toukhes.”