The turkey
๐ In short
The turkey is a big bird that comes from America, related to chickens and peacocks. Native Americans raised turkeys more than a thousand years ago, and today they're raised in many countries for their meat.
๐คฉ Did you know?
- About 230 million turkeys are raised in the world every year.
- A male turkey can weigh 9 kilograms, and the female about half that.
- Many people in North America eat turkey at Thanksgiving.
- A wild turkey can run very fast when it's scared.
๐ Find out more
๐ A special look
A turkey's head and neck have almost no feathers and are covered in hanging red skin. A long fleshy flap hangs over its beak, and turns red or blue when it gets excited.
๐ A fan of feathers
When a male wants to show off or scare rivals, he puffs up his feathers, spreads his tail like a big fan, struts about and goes โgobble gobbleโ.
๐ก Wild turkeys fly!
Farm turkeys are very heavy and can't fly, but wild turkeys can fly short distances, and they sleep in trees.
๐ฏ Its food
Turkeys scratch the ground to eat seeds, grain, nuts, insects and berries.
๐ธ More pictures
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 Where did turkeys first come from?
2 What does the male do when showing off?
3 About ?? million turkeys are raised in the world every year.
4 Which picture shows โThe turkeyโ?
๐ฆ Discover more
๐ท Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons
- Kristie Gianopulos from Tampa, USA ยท CC BY 2.0
- Hatmatbbat10 ยท Public domain
- Rosentron ยท CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shakeelgilgity ยท CC BY-SA 3.0
