100+ Turkey Trivia Questions & Answers

Question: What is the scientific genus name for turkeys?

Answer: Meleagris

Question: To which family do wild turkeys belong?

Answer: Phasianidae

Question: What is the type species of the genus Meleagris?

Answer: Meleagris gallopavo (wild turkey)

Question: How many extant turkey species are there?

Answer: Two

Question: Under which order are turkeys classified?

Answer: Galliformes

Question: What subfamily do wild turkeys belong to?

Answer: Phasianinae

Question: Which tribe includes wild turkeys and grouse?

Answer: Tetraonini

Question: What is a young turkey called?

Answer: Poult

Question: What is are female turkeys called?

Answer: Hen

Question: What is the scientific name for the ocellated turkey?

Answer: Meleagris ocellata

Question: Name one extinct species of turkey.

Answer: Meleagris californica or Meleagris crassipes

Question: What class do turkeys belong to?

Answer: Aves

Question: What phylum are turkeys classified under?

Answer: Chordata

Question: What kingdom do turkeys belong to?

Answer: Animalia

Question: What domain are turkeys a part of?

Answer: Eukaryota

Question: Which species is the ancestor of domesticated turkeys?

Answer: Meleagris gallopavo

Question: What is the common name for Meleagris ocellata?

Answer: Ocellated turkey

Question: Which extinct turkey species was found in Southern California?

Answer: Meleagris californica

Question: Which extinct turkey species was found in New Mexico?

Answer: Meleagris crassipes

Question: What is the temporal range of turkeys?

Answer: 23–0 Ma

Question: Which genus name means "guineafowl" in Ancient Greek?

Answer: Meleagris

Question: To which subfamily do wild turkeys belong within Phasianidae?

Answer: Phasianinae

Question: What is the order name for pheasants, partridges, and turkeys?

Answer: Galliformes

Question: Which tribe includes wild turkeys and grouse?

Answer: Tetraonini

Question: How many subspecies does Meleagris gallopavo have?

Answer: Six

Question: Where were turkeys first domesticated?

Answer: Pre-Columbian Mexico

Question: Approximately how many years ago were turkeys domesticated?

Answer: 2,000 years ago

Question: Which indigenous peoples first domesticated wild turkeys?

Answer: Indigenous peoples of Mexico

Question: During which historical event did domesticated turkeys reach Eurasia?

Answer: The Columbian Exchange

Question: In what year were turkeys first exported to Europe via Spain?

Answer: Around 1519

Question: When did turkeys arrive in England?

Answer: 1541

Question: Who introduced turkeys to England?

Answer: William Strickland

Question: Which national bird did Benjamin Franklin prefer over the bald eagle?

Answer: The Wild Turkey

Question: In which Shakespeare play is the term "turkey" used?

Answer: Twelfth Night

Question: What is the French word for turkey that implies an Indian origin?

Answer: Dinde

Question: From which country does the Portuguese word for turkey derive?

Answer: Peru

Question: How many turkeys were estimated to be in the U.S. in the 17th century?

Answer: 10 million turkeys

Question: By the 1930s, how many wild turkeys remained in the U.S.?

Answer: 30,000

Question: In which decades did biologists start re-introducing wild turkeys in the U.S.?

Answer: 1960s and 1970s

Question: Which states were involved in the re-introduction of wild turkeys?

Answer: Minnesota and Vermont

Question: When was the Norfolk turkey breed likely established?

Answer: 19th century (based on Lady Dorothy Nevill's memoirs)

Question: Which Earl imported American turkeys to Wolterton Hall?

Answer: Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford

Question: Which Spanish chroniclers described turkeys in Tenochtitlán?

Answer: Bernal Díaz del Castillo and Father Bernardino de Sahagún

Question: By which century had English settlers brought turkeys to North America?

Answer: 17th century

Question: How long ago did the earliest turkeys evolve in North America?

Answer: Over 20 million years ago

Question: What was the likely cause of extinction for Meleagris californica?

Answer: Human hunting and climate change

Question: When was the Oligocene fossil Meleagris antiquus first described?

Answer: 1871

Question: Which family were turkeys previously considered to belong to before genomic analysis?

Answer: Meleagrididae

Question: In what year was a draft sequence of the domestic turkey genome published?

Answer: 2010

Question: What organization conducted the 2014 survey on wild turkey populations?

Answer: National Wild Turkey Federation Technical Committee

Question: Which U.S. president declared Thanksgiving a national holiday?

Answer: President Abraham Lincoln

Question: What phrase did Benjamin Franklin use to advocate the wild turkey as the national bird of the United States?

Answer: True original native

Question: Approximately how many turkeys are consumed in the United States each year?

Answer: 45 million turkeys

Question: What term describes an official emblem representing a country, which Benjamin Franklin suggested the wild turkey should be for the United States?

Answer: National symbol

Question: What is the name of a popular Thanksgiving Day running event?

Answer: Turkey Trot

Question: Which American holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and traditionally includes a meal featuring turkey?

Answer: Thanksgiving Day

Question: What is the traditional meal served on the American holiday of Thanksgiving, typically featuring turkey, stuffing, and various side dishes?

Answer: Thanksgiving feast

Question: What is the main setting where families gather to share a meal during the American holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November?

Answer: Thanksgiving table

Question: Approximately how many turkeys are consumed in the United States each year?

Answer: 235 million turkeys

Question: What is the term for the eggs laid by turkeys?

Answer: Turkey eggs

Question: Which Founding Father advocated for the wild turkey to be the national bird of the United States?

Answer: Ben Franklin

Question: Approximately how many turkeys are consumed in the United States each year?

Answer: 235 million turkeys

Question: What is the term for the eggs laid by turkeys?

Answer: Turkey eggs

Question: Which Founding Father advocated for the wild turkey to be the national bird of the United States?

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

Question: What term did Benjamin Franklin use to describe the wild turkey when advocating it as America's national bird?

Answer: Respectable bird

Question: What organization represents the interests of turkey producers and the turkey industry in the United States?

Answer: National Turkey Federation

Question: What is the average weight of a commercially raised turkey?

Answer: 15 pounds

Question: What is the traditional meal served on the American holiday of Thanksgiving, typically featuring turkey?

Answer: Turkey dinner

Question: Which American holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and traditionally includes a meal featuring turkey?

Answer: Thanksgiving dinner

Question: What term refers to the duration allocated for the traditional Thanksgiving meal and celebrations?

Answer: Time

Question: What is an adult male turkey called?

Answer: Tom (or Gobbler)

Question: What term did Benjamin Franklin use to describe the wild turkey when advocating it as America's national bird?

Answer: Respectable bird

Question: What is the collective noun for a group of turkeys?

Answer: A rafter

Question: What annual event showcases large floats, balloons, and performances to celebrate Thanksgiving?

Answer: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Question: Which U.S. president officially began the tradition of pardoning a turkey each Thanksgiving?

Answer: George H.W. Bush

Question: What do wild turkeys primarily feed on in spring and summer?

Answer: Grains, grasshoppers, spiders, worms, and lizards

Question: What do wild turkeys eat in fall and winter?

Answer: Fruits and nuts like grapes, blueberries, acorns, and walnuts

Question: During which hours do wild turkeys mostly forage?

Answer: Sunrise and sunset

Question: What type of feed do domesticated turkeys consume?

Answer: Commercially produced feed

Question: How do wild turkeys respond to humans in residential areas?

Answer: They can be aggressive

Question: What social structure do wild turkeys have?

Answer: A social structure and pecking order

Question: What did Brookline, Massachusetts recommend in 2017 to intimidate turkeys?

Answer: Making noise, popping umbrellas, shouting, waving arms, squirting with a hose, using dogs, and fending off with a broom

Question: What did state wildlife officials later recommend regarding aggressive behavior toward turkeys?

Answer: Not to be aggressive

Question: By 2019, by what percentage had the wild turkey population declined since 2014?

Answer: Around 3%

Question: By 2019, by what percentage had the number of wild turkey hunters decreased since 2014?

Answer: 18%

Question: How have turkeys been used by humans historically besides as food?

Answer: For their feathers and bones in practical and cultural contexts

Question: What holiday is turkeys central to in the United States?

Answer: Thanksgiving

Question: What is another holiday occasion where turkey is often eaten?

Answer: Christmas

Question: What behavior do habituated turkeys exhibit towards perceived subordinates?

Answer: They may attempt to dominate or attack

Question: In which regions were wild turkeys re-introduced in the U.S.?

Answer: Minnesota and Vermont

Question: What was the estimated number of wild turkeys in the U.S. during the 17th century?

Answer: 10 million turkeys

Question: What caused the drastic decline in wild turkey populations by the 1930s?

Answer: Overhunting and habitat loss

Question: What is the IUCN status of the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)?

Answer: LC (Least Concern)

Question: What is the IUCN status of the ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata)?

Answer: NT (Near Threatened)

Question: What type of environments are wild turkeys native to?

Answer: Forests of North America and the Yucatán Peninsula

Question: How do wild turkeys behave when faced with danger?

Answer: They can fly up to a quarter mile or roost in trees

Question: What is a potential consequence of injurious pecking among turkeys?

Answer: Cannibalism

Question: What was a historical use of turkeys in Mayan culture?

Answer: Appeared in Mayan manuscripts and were connected to aristocrats and priests

Question: What survey data was missing from the 2019 wild turkey population report?

Answer: Population data from 12 states and hunter data from 8 states

Question: What is the common name for a turkey's egg?

Answer: Turkey egg