I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country: he is a Bird of bad moral character: like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing, he is generally poor and very often lousy. The Turkey is a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original native of North America. – Benjamin Franklin

When the Founding Fathers of America were deciding on a bird to serve as the symbol for their fledgling nation, it was the Wild Turkey, a native of the New World, that gained Benjamin Franklin's vote. His assessment of the bird's American heritage was accurate. Fossil evidence would later prove that turkeys have been roaming the Americas for ten million years.

Turkeys in America

A Bird for All Seasons

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