Origins of the Holiday Turkey
With the holidays fast approaching, many folks are beginning to plan their requisite feasts with family and friends. The centerpiece for many a merry meal will undoubtedly be a turkey; indeed, Americans will consume nearly 50 million turkeys on Thanksgiving and about half as many on Christmas. Given that the average American consumes over 15 pounds of turkey each year, I thought it would be interesting to briefly explore the natural history of this ubiquitous bird. The domestic turkey that you buy in the grocery store is the same species as the wild turkeys that you might see strutting...
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History!
Read MoreTurkey Tapping
Anybody there? This Wild Turkey was photographed several years ago by RTPI President Twan Leenders while it was looking to apply for an office job. At this time of year the turkeys might want to hide instead of coming right on in…
Read MoreWild Turkey Poults
It’s that time again! Here we have a hen Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) with a couple of poults, and another a bit further away. There were at least seven tiny young ones with her. They stayed far in the shade of this lawn and quickly ducked back into the woodlands once they spotted me. Have you seen any yet this year? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreThanksgiving is coming
Thanksgiving is coming…what do you think this face says to you? Thanks for the look, Turkey.
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