I thought turkeys could fly

https://youtu.be/lf3mgmEdfwg?si=kAFOIxlj7bNirv_w

they do!
https://youtu.be/KplOy12DKFU?si=UlacrpQ … 7&t=43

Oh the Humanity!
that clip will never get old

A list here of the heaviest bird species. Wild turkeys can fly, as can some other species weighing up to 44lbs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_birds

For the sake of Brits and other people unfamiliar with the American holiday called Thanksgiving, turkey is often the main course.  In the wild, turkeys are illusive birds.  They travel on the ground in flocks ranging from a few to a couple of dozen birds.  Sometime seen in field and often in woodlands, they recognize humans as a threat and move away quickly.  They will fly when threatened.  Chancing upon wild turkeys while in forest in fields is a treat- and very unusual.  It has been a number of years since I have had an encounter and despite the fact I have numerous photos of wild turkeys, I would always try for more.

The birds generally are ground feeders and forage throughout the day, but they roost high in the tree tops at night.

Hunters may pick off a bird during a chance encounter, but most turkeys are killed by a hunter wearing heavy camouflage, in a blind, with a call used to mimic other turkeys in an effort to lure one into the open and within range.  Turkey hunters are likely to spend many days hunting to have the possibility of killing a turkey and he/she could easily go the year without raising the weapon to kill one.  They are shot with bow and arrows, shotguns and rifles  are not allowed except in spring turkey season in Pennsylvania.  Only bearded males can be harvested in Pennsylvania in the spring season.  The number of turkeys a hunter can kill is one per license year in Pennsylvania.

The wild turkey populations have grown significantly in the past decades.  Partly because of breeding and release efforts and largely because many areas of forest and farmland have been developed in a manner that hunting is minimized but food sources remain.  Populations of turkeys are not unusual in suburban and rural neighborhoods and the males can be aggressive.  There are many stories available of turkeys attacking humans despite their normal behavior of staying out of sight.

It is important to note, that despite our gun culture, it is the rare bird that goes out and shoots a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners.  They are raised on farms, which isn't pretty, does not resemble natural conditions, includes significant loses and could hardly be described as humane conditions.  These farms raised birds, grow up in large pens, that may containing hundreds or thousands of birds in a stressful environment.  The pens contain single genders - the males go right into the process being prepared for consumption.  Breeding females lay eggs until they are spent, many more than a wild turkey would lay in spring, and then they are butchered.

The coloration of the bird is notably different than wild turkeys.  The breeding of domestic turkeys for consumers, and the resulting characteristics render the adults incapable of a meaningful flight ability.  It doesn't matter that wild turkeys can fly. Domestics adult turkeys do not.

One of the mods decided this thanksgiving thread, posted around thanksgiving, was too off topic for the off topic forum, and moved it here.