Elizabeth G: Turkey Quiz

Did you know that Ben Franklin thought the North American wild turkey should be the national bird of the USA? Of course, the turkey of his day was nothing like the domesticated descendants we are familiar with now. The wild turkey of Franklin's day was a brightly plumed bird of flight.

Did you know that only the adult male turkey (the "tom") makes the gobbler, gobble sound? The female or hen turkey makes a gentle clucking or clicking sound. She never gobbles.

Did you know that after the first Thanksgiving in 1621, it took over 200 years before Thanksgiving Day was officially proclaimed a national holiday in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln?

Do you know how the turkey got its name? Some say Columbus thought the land he discovered was connected to India which had a large population of peacocks and assumed turkeys were part of the peacock family. He decided to call them tuka, which is the word for peacock in the language of India.

Others claim that the name turkey came from Native Americans who called the birds firkee, which sounds like turkey.

Some say that turkey name came from the sound turkeys make when they are afraid - "turk, turk, turk."

Did you know that turkeys will peck at just about anything, including each other?

And on that happy note, the Quills want to wish all of those who celebrate turkey day a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

~EG
(Thanks to the University of Illinois web site for supplying me with all the turkey news fit to print.:-)