TURKEY

A turkey is either of two species of large birds in the genus Meleagris native to North America. Turkeys are classed in the order Galliformes. Turkeys are now considered by most authorities to be of their own family, the 'Meleagrididae. Turkeys have a distinctive fleshy wattle that hangs from the underside of the beak, and a fleshy protuberance that hangs from the top of its beak called a snood. As with many galliform species, the female (the hen) is smaller than the male (the tom), and much less colorful. With wingspans of 1.5–1.8 meters (almost 6 feet), the turkeys are by far the largest birds in the open forests in which they live, and are rarely mistaken for any other species.