The average Thanksgiving turkey weighs about 15 pounds and is 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat. The National Turkey Federation estimated that in 2007, 46 million turkeys—one-fifth of the annual total of 235 million—were eaten at Thanksgiving.
The first Thanksgiving in 1621 didn’t include mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie or cranberries. Deer, rabbit and squash were served and historians believe that lobster, seal and swan may have been served as well. While fowl was on the menu, the bird of choice was probably not turkey.
A celebration on a specific day every year didn’t occur until President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.
While “gobble” is the call most people associate with turkeys, the birds have at least 28 different known sounds. Other calls, including “yelps,” “clucks,” “putts,” “cackles,” “purrs,” “hoots” and “hisses,” are used to indicate danger, advertise the caller’s sex, establish control and keep the flock together.
