THE WILD TURKEY

THE WILD TURKEY

Often called the grandest bird of America.

The ruffed grouse may be the king of game birds in the field; but the wild turkey, the largest game bird that flies, is to my mind king of them all on the table. A young wild turkey, well roasted, is a dish for the gods. The domesticated turkey is not in the same class; nor is it a descendant of our wild turkey. It was bred from the Mexican turkey, a bird of another race, not so handsome as ours, and having a white rump. This turkey was domesticated by the Aztecs, and hundreds of thousands were bred by them in domestication long before America was discovered by Columbus. Europeans received the bird from the hands of the Indians. The white man never has succeeded in domesticating any American game bird sufficiently to bring it into general use. The task still lies before us. The American Ornithologists’ Union now recognizes but one species and five subspecies of the wild turkey, all of which are natives of this continent.

WILD TURKEY

This picture shows a female with its young. It is reproduced from one of the famous set of plates of “Birds of America,” made by J. J. Audubon.

The range of the species formerly extended over Mexico, most of the United States, and into southern Ontario. The early explorers found it roving in large flocks along the Atlantic seaboard, and at times migrating in great armies in search of food.

A WOODCOCK

We can form little idea today of the former almost incredible abundance of these noble birds. Our forefathers were accustomed to hunt them for the Thanksgiving dinner, and they rarely failed to secure a good supply. The bird is now extinct through the greater part of its former range. It was hunted, trapped, and shot at all seasons, and is likely to vanish from the earth unless it can be propagated under partial domestication and restored to its former habitat.