Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson XXXIV · Topic 2: Bird study: birds to know
34. Turkeys
Goal: Your child can describe a turkey's plumage, bare head and wattles, how the gobbler struts, and how the hen cares for her young.
You'll need
- A farm, petting farm or fair with turkeys, or a place where wild turkeys are seen
- Binoculars for wild turkeys
- Nature notebook and colored pencils
What's in the book
The leading thought (a native of America, taken to Spain from Mexico about 1518), the method (visit a flock, or ask a few questions at a time) and fourteen questions about breed, plumage, the head covering and its changing colors, beak, eyes, ears, feet and spurs, flight and roosting, strutting, fighting, laying, the poults, and the turkey hen as a mother.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
Any season on a farm. Wild turkeys are common again in many parts of the country; look for flocks at field edges in early morning, especially in fall and winter. Gobblers strut and gobble most in spring.
Safety: tom turkeys can be bold. Keep your distance, and don't feed wild turkeys.
Keep the big idea in mind
Read this to yourself:
The turkey is a native of America. It was introduced into Spain from Mexico in about 1518, and since then has been domesticated. However, there are still in some parts of the country flocks of wild turkeys. It is a beautiful bird and has interesting habits.
Plumage
What is the general shape and size of the turkey? Describe its plumage, noting every color which you can see in it? Does the plumage of the hen turkey differ from that of the gobbler?
The bronze sheen shows best in sunlight.
The head
What is the covering of the head of the turkey, what is its color and how far does it extend down the neck of the bird? Is it always the same color, and if not, what causes the change?
A gobbler's head can turn red, white and blue when he is excited. The flap of skin over the beak is the snood; the one under the throat is the wattle.
Strutting
Tell, as nearly as you can discover by close observation, how the gobbler sets each part of his plumage when he is "showing off" or strutting? What do you think is the bird's purpose in thus exhibiting his fine feathers?
Think back to Lesson II.
Feet, flight and sleep
Do turkeys scratch like hens? Are they good runners?
Can turkeys fly well? Are the wings small or comparatively large and strong for the weight of the body? Do turkeys prefer high or low places for perching when they sleep?
Wild turkeys fly up into trees to roost at night.
Put it into words
Ask your child to tell you three things about turkeys a visitor from another country might not know. Then share the leading thought.
Nature notebook
Draw a gobbler in full strut, tail fanned and wattles bright. Label the snood, wattle and beard (the bristly tuft on his chest).
Afterwards
Comstock's later questions are for families who raise turkeys: eggs, poults and the turkey hen as a mother. If you know a farmer, ask them.
Tip
Safety: poultry can carry germs even when they look clean and healthy. Wash hands with soap and water after touching a bird or anything in its pen.