
![]() Photo: NixBC, Flickr Creative Commons |
There are a ton of pretty amazing Thanksgiving-related stats in general, like the fact that by the end of this year, the U.S. will have produced somewhere around 750 million pounds of cranberries (not all for the one November meal, of course) or that the average American consumed more than 13 pounds of turkey during 2009 alone. Kind of crazy.
But since were a magazine that loves to write about birds, here are some fun numbers about turkeysthe wild kindfrom the , the PBS documentary (which well review later this week), and the .
Editors note: Keep checking the blog for more turkey-tastic content between now and November 24.
5 Sub-species of wild turkey: Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriams and Goulds. (NWTF)
6,000 Number of feathers that cover a turkey, in what are called feather tracts. A turkeys feathers provide a variety of survival functions, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation. They keep him warm and dry, allow him to fly, feel and show off for the opposite sex. (NWTF)
24 Pounds a male wild turkey can weigh. (PBS)
25 Miles per hour a wild turkey can run. (PBS)
200 Number of individuals that can be seen in winter groups of hens and their broods. (Cornell)
17 Max number of eggs in a wild turkey clutch. (Cornell)
248 million Expected number of turkeys raised in the United States in 2011. (Census Bureau)
7.1 billion Combined weight, in pounds, of turkeys raised in the U.S. in 2010. (Census Bureau)
30 Total number of different calls a wild turkey can make. (PBS)
1.3 million Global population of wild turkeys. (Cornell)