Did you know male turkeys are called Toms and female turkeys are called hens? Did you know that wild turkeys can have more than 6,000 feathers?  Did you know wild turkeys can fly? This Thanksgiving the Nature Conservancy of Canada is hoping you're thankful for wild turkeys because their populations have increased across the continent.

“Across Canada, sort of from the BC southern interior, like the East Kootenays all the way to New Brunswick, there are wild turkey populations. At one point, about 100 years ago, there were just a few thousand left across the country. Now, we think there are millions across the continent again. So, there's definitely been a wonderful recovery story,” said Jensen Edwards, National Media Relations Manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

It is estimated that only 30,000 of these birds remained in North America at the turn of the 20th century. Fast forward just over 100 years, and scientists now believe that there are more than 7 million wild turkeys trotting through forests across the continent.

Although wild turkeys are not common in the Central Alberta area you might manage to bump into one in southern Alberta from Waterton to Lethbridge and west to the Rocky Mountains. Edwards says it’s possible you might bump into them on a hike.

“You could definitely stumble upon them on hikes there are quite impressive creatures there not just in their colors and their and their feathers, but they can run like 19 kilometers an hour, which is faster than most of us. They're quite interesting,” said Edwards.

This Thanksgiving, he hopes people pay a little homage to their dinner.

“When we're going around the table with your with your bubble this Thanksgiving, maybe in addition to saying that you're thankful for gathering safely, maybe you could say a little thanks to the the bird in the middle of the table too,” he added.

Here are a couple other fun facts about turkeys:

  • At the start of spring, male wild turkeys gather in clearings to perform courtship displays. They puff up their feathers, lower their wings, fan out their tails and slowly strut, while making their famous gobble sounds.
  • Believe it or not, wild turkeys can fly; at night, they fly up into trees to roost.
  • Wild turkeys were introduced in Alberta in 1962, when 21 birds from South Dakota were translocated to the Cypress Hills area.
  • Turkey populations in Alberta now range from approximately 25 in the Waterton area to nearly 200 near Beaver Mines, and are projected to grow modestly over the next several years.
  • Wild turkeys mostly inhabit forests but often wander into open fields and grasslands to feed, nest and reproduce.
  • Wild turkeys are not fussy eaters. They feed on seeds, hazelnuts, oak nuts, hickory nuts, beech nuts, acorns, apples, fruit, snails, worms and amphibians year-round.
  • Certain characteristics of wild turkey droppings, such as their shape and size, reveal the turkey's gender and age. Female droppings are spiral shaped, while male droppings are J-shaped. The larger the diameter, the older the bird.