5 Fun Turkey Facts to Share at the Thanksgiving Table

Whether you find yourself entertaining the kids or your husband's grandparents, these fun facts to share at the Thanksgiving table will give you something interesting to talk about with guests of all ages. 

1. World's Largest Turkey: 86 lbs

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world's largest turkey weighed in at 86 lbs in London in 1989.  With the average turkey at Thanksgiving weighing in at 15 pounds, it's quite hard to imagine just how large this 86 pound bird was! 

2. Wild Turkeys Can Run 25 MPH

Wild turkeys are fast! According to the Smithsonian, wild turkeys can run up to 25 MPH and fly up to 55 MPH. To put this in perspective, the world's fastest human - Usain Bolt - can run up to 28 MPH. Not bad, turkeys!

3. Every State has a Wild Turkey Population Except One

There is just one state without a turkey population and that is Alaska! Hawaii was also on this no turkey list until the 1960s when domesticated turkeys were released on the island, and the population have since thrived (there is even a hunting season!). 

4. Turkeys Almost Went Extinct in Early 20th Century

Due to overhunting, wild turkeys almost went extinct in the early 20th century in America. Thanks to focused conservation efforts, the turkey population was able to come back and thrive as we can see across the US today (except Alaska!). There are nearly 7 million wild turkeys in America today.

5. Turkeys are Named after the Country

When Europeans came to America, they remarked that turkeys looked like African Guinea Fowls which had come to Europe through Turkey (from the Audobon Society). Now we know - the country was not named after America's favorite bird. 

Have your own fun facts about turkeys or Thanksgiving? Share in the comments!