Fun Turkey facts: before and after they become Thanksgiving dinner

November 23, 2:36 AMDC Pet Care ExaminerErin Paquette

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While Turkeys are best known for being the centerpiece of Thanksgiving meals across the United States each November, it turns out that they’ve actually got some other interesting characteristics hiding in their wattles (you know, that funny red thing dangling beneath the chin of male turkeys) besides going well with cranberry sauce.

To find out some interesting facts about Turkeys before and after they adorn American dinner tables, check out the videos and other information provided below.  

The Turkey: Before it Becomes Thanksgiving Dinner

• A Turkeys’ head changes colors when it’s excited
   
• Turkeys can drown if they look up while it’s raining
   
• Turkeys can have heart attacks
   
• Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the Turkey the U.S. national bird instead of the bald Eagle
   
• Wild Turkeys can fly up to 55 mph for short distances
   
• Even though Turkeys have great hearing, they don’t have any external ears
   
• Turkeys can see in color
   
• Scientists believe that the Turkey has been around for over 10 million years
   
• When they reach maturity, the average Turkey will have more than 3,500 feathers
   
• It is possible for both male and female Turkeys to have beards (black, hair like feathers on their chest)
   
• Turkeys can sense movement over 100 yards away
   
• Male Turkeys gobble, but female Turkeys do not
   
• Each year, the President will pardon at least one Turkey. To learn more about this national tradition, watch the first minute of the video below as President Bush pardons two Turkeys from becoming dinner at the White House in 2007.  

The Turkey: After it Becomes Thanksgiving Dinner 

• The average American eats 17.5 pounds of Turkey each year
   
• Turkey consumption by Americans has increased 116% since the 1970’s
   
• Over 45 million Turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving
   
• Over 50% of Americans eat turkey at least once a week
   
• There are over 8,436 Turkey farms in the United States
   
• White meat has less calories than dark meat
   
• After plucked for Thanksgiving dinner, most Turkey feathers are composted
   
• Turkey skins are used to make cowboy boots and belts
   
• Over 675 million pounds of Turkey are eaten each Thanksgiving in the U.S.

To watch an enormously cheesy but admittedly funny video about a Turkey trying to escape its’ fate as Thanksgiving dinner, watch the video below.

To learn more about Turkeys (both pre and post Thanksgiving dinner) please visit the following sites:  

• AllAboutBirds
• eNature
• InfoPlease
• UrbanNext
• Wikipedia

If you liked this article, check out our article "Boogie Boogie Hedgehog and other interesting hedgehog facts." 

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Let us know about other interesting Turkey facts by leaving a comment below.