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==Description==

==Description==

The common turkey is a large bird, with males (called "toms" or "gobblers") up to 50 inches long and weighing up to 22 pounds.  They bear iridescent dark bronze and green feathers, a large feather tassel on its breast, and a warty, red head with a fleshy ornament extending over the bill.  Females ("hens") are a fader shade of brown, and about half the size of the males.

The common turkey is a large bird, with males (called "toms" or "gobblers") up to 50 inches long and weighing up to 22 pounds.  They bear iridescent dark bronze and green feathers, a large feather tassel on its breast, and a warty, red head with a fleshy ornament extending over the bill.  Females ("hens") are a fader shade of brown, and about half the size of the males.  The domesticated variety is commonly white, and being bred for its meat, considerably heavier.

Ocellated turkeys are smaller than their northern counterparts, with brightly-tipped feathers and blue-skinned heads with yellow bumps, as well as a yellow crown above its bill wattle.

Ocellated turkeys are smaller than their northern counterparts, with brightly-tipped feathers and blue-skinned heads with yellow bumps, as well as a yellow crown above its bill wattle.

 

A Mexican subspecies (''M. g. gallopavo'') had already been domesticated when the Spanish arrived there in 1519; several of these birds were taken to Europe a short time later, where they spread to farms throughout much of the continent.  The name "turkey" was first applied to the bird in England, a transliteration of the name then applied to the guinea fowl (''Numida meleagris'') of Islamic, or "Turkish," lands in northern Africa.  It was the English who brought back their domesticated version to the American colonies in the early-17th century, where they eventually became a staple of the diet, and the symbol of the [[Thanksgiving]] holiday.

==External Links==

==External Links==