Raven was tuned to the turkey channel this morning. Lots of activity from some young birds, very hungry in the chilly temps.
The Wild Turkey and the Muscovy Duck are the only two domesticated birds native to the New World.
Fully-grown wild turkeys have long, reddish-yellow to grayish-green legs. Each foot has three front toes, with a shorter, rear-facing toe; males have a spur behind each of their lower legs, used to spar with other males.
This may sound strange, but since turkeys don't have teeth, they swallow small rocks to aid in the mechanical digestion of their food. Bonus fact: They also have TWO stomachs – the glandular stomach and the gizzard!
When they need to, Turkeys can swim by tucking their wings in close, spreading their tails, and kicking.
Between spurs, wattles, caruncles and snoods, wild turkeys are heavily accessorized with weird body parts...
Spurs are bony spikes on the back of each lower leg; the wattle is the flap of skin under the turkey’s chin; caruncles are fleshy bumps on the head and throat; and the snood is a fleshy flap that hangs from the beak.
For the Record.
This day came in cold with a milky, dismal sky.
I retired from public school teaching after happily spending twenty eight years playing in Kindergarten. Now I fill my days watching cat antics, taking endless...
