The kindness one
does for an animal
may not change the world
but it WILL change the world
for that one animal.
...Author Unknown
These beautiful wild turkeys live at the end of a street near my house. I discovered them earlier in the year but wanted to post the photos appropriately for November. There were about 10-12 that I saw grazing for food. These two were not sure about my intentions and they lowered their side feathers for protection and they scraped along the ground, making a warning sound. I had also never noticed these "ponytails" (called miso filoplumes) growing out of the chest of a male turkey (gobbler) before. I hope they remain safe this month and are not caught and consumed for Thanksgiving. I don't eat meat so animals are safe with me.
Benjamin Franklin was a big fan of the humble turkey. He wished the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative for America. Franklin felt the turkey was a much more respectable bird and a true native of America. There are more fascinating facts listed below, like the wishbone of the turkey, dating back more than 150 million years to the dinosaurs.
Yours are very colorful compared to the blacker ones around here. I'd never seen turkeys close up until we moved here but now it's not that unusual for a whole flock to walk through the back yard every once in a while. Good shot! (Oh, and I've heard that the wild version is much tougher and less desirable for food so hunters tend to avoid them.)
