Amazing 5 Facts About Turkeys That People Should Know This Thanksgiving Holiday

Turkeys are widely known as the stars of Thanksgiving dinner. But there is more to these wattled birds than meets the eye. Like most birds, they are living dinosaur that is related to Tyrannosaurus rex.

There's a lot to learn about these Thanksgiving divas, so here are some cool facts about their biology, history, and folklore based on Live Science's compilation.

Turkeys Sleep in Trees

These birds are so large and heavy that the heftiest wild turkey the Guinness World Records recorded weighed 39 kilograms (86 pounds). So many people assume that they only stay on the ground.

However, turkeys prefer to sleep perched atop tree branches where they are safer from predators, such as coyotes, foxes, and raccoons. They even sleep in flocks sometimes and call out a series of soft yelps upon waking before they all descend to the ground to make sure everyone is safe.

Only Male Turkeys Gobble

Males are known as gobblers as they use it to attract female turkeys for mating in the spring, according to an article in Pets for Mom. However, they only gobble during mating season, especially when trying to assert dominance and alert other turkeys to lurking predators.

On the other hand, female turkeys have their own kind of gobble. They typically make other vocalizations, like clucking, purring, and yelping to communicate to their unhatched chicks. Sometimes they synchronize the hatching of their eggs with their vocalizations or use it to warn offspring of predators.

Turkey Meat Can Make People Sleepy

Most people are aware of the post-Thanksgiving food coma and the most likely culprit people blame is the turkey. Allegedly, this bird causes drowsiness because it is packed with a nutrient called tryptophan.

Science American reported that it is one of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids, but the body cannot manufacture the nutrient on its own so it must obtain it from food protein. Although turkey is a great source of this, it is not unique as many other types of meat and protein products have the same amounts of essential acids.

Turkeys Have Periscopic Vision

Turkey has excellent vision because its eyes are on the sides of its head, giving them a periscopic vision. That means they can see objects that are not in their direct line of vision.

Per James G. Dickson's "The Wild Turkey: Biology and Management published in 1992, turkeys need only to rotate its head and they will have a 360-degree field of vision.

Turkeys Can Blush

Per Northeastern Chronicle, turkeys can blush. The pale skin on their head and neck turns bright red, blue, or white when they get scared or excited. Also, the male turkey's wattle turns scarlet during mating season to reveal its elevated sex hormone levels. The fleshy flap of skin that hangs over their beak also turns bright red when they get excited.

Check out more news and information on Turkeys in Science Times.