Crafty Moms Share: Fun Facts about Turkeys & a Turkey Craft Round Up

Have you been following our fun fact posts? It is November so we are moving on to Thanksgiving. So let's talk turkey!! Below the fun facts are a round-up of turkey crafts and activities. Ready for these fun facts?

Fun Facts

Turkeys were named after the country. North Americans sent Meleagris gallopavo to Europe where they got confused with African guinea fowl that Turkish traders brought to Europe. They called them turkeys and the name became to exclusively mean the turkey as we know it.

A Wild Turkey By JANGA NAVYA (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Benjamin Franklin stated that turkeys are a more respectable bird than bald eagles.
Domestic turkeys (raised on farms) usually weigh about twice as much as wild turkeys.

Domestic Turkey By Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) (20120522-DSC00187) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Most domestic turkeys cannot fly since they are so heavy! Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) can fly up to 55mph.
Wild turkeys are the largest game bird found in this part of the world. They live in woods in America and like to eat acorns, seeds, small insects and wild berries. Wild turkeys usually sleep on low branches of trees.
Turkeys almost went extinct by the early 20^th century due to hunting and habitat destruction. Their numbers went down to 30,000. Their numbers have come back to the point of being a nuisance in some parts of the country.

Two Turkeys and Their Poults Corey Coyle [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The last wild turkey in Massachusetts was killed in 1851 on Mount Tom. In 1972 and 1973 the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife live trapped turkeys in New York and released them in Massachusetts.
The male turkeys are called Tom Turkeys or Gobblers and puff up their bodies and spread their tail feathers to try to befriend as many females as possible.
Baby turkeys are called poults and cannot fly for the first two weeks of their lives. However they can walk, run and get their own food right away.

Poult in Florida By Kristie Gianopulos from Tampa, USA (Baby turkey) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Vision and hearing are a wild turkeys most important senses. They help them communicate and detect possible threats.
Only male turkeys gobble. Weather plays a role in the gobbling activity. Winds between 3 mph to 6 mph seems to bring the highest as do temperatures between 60 to 69 degrees Fahrenheit. Female turkeys have distinct noises that sound like chirps and clucks.
Turkeys ingest small stones that go into the part of their stomachs called gizzards. They do this to help with digestion since like all birds they do not have teeth. They have two stomachs—one that softens the food with gastric juices and the gizzard.
Male and female turkeys have different feces. A male’s is j shaped and straighter than a female’s. A hen’s looks more like a spiral.

My Turkey Crafts

1) Thankful Turkey (from a kit)

2) Seed Turkey

3) Cupcake Liner Turkeys (with lots of book recommendations)

4) Lollipop & Gourd Turkeys

5) Nature Turkeys

6) Coffee Filter Turkeys

7) Handprint Turkey Napkin Rings

8) Pine Cone Turkey

9) "Stained Glass" Turkey

10) Handprint and Gourd Turkey

11) Turkey Centerpieces

Turkey Crafts and Activities from Fellow Kid Blogger Network Members

Here is a sample of some of the amazing turkey crafts, snacks, and activities out there. I tried to pick just one from each blog and share a variety of ideas but there are many more out there!!