bear!

[Mmathis]

LOL! Hence the phrases, "Running around like a turkey with its head cut off," or ".... Goose in a hail storm."

 

[Jerry In Maine]

there was a show on PBS recently called "my life as a turkey". done by a scientist who got a clutch of turkey eggs and when they hatched the birds bonded to him. he had a cabin in the woods so no outside world contact. he was the groups "mama" for over a year, and did what he could to expose them to what normal turkeys would see as they grew up. he kept very detailed notes and video documented the entire time.

facinating show and well worth the time to watch if you get the chance. domesticated turkeys might not be the brightest bulb on the avain christmas tree, but from what this guy learned wild turkeys are pretty darn smart!

...but as a bird lover i'm obviously biased.

 

[j.w]

Maybe those turkeys were smarter cuz they learned from him the smart daddy. Maybe those same turkeys raised w/ their natural mom would not have as many street smarts? Did they do a comparison? So is there really a difference also in the wild ones and the domesticated ones in brains? Interesting to find out. Would like to see that show.

 

[addy1]

We have a nice size flock of them, they are not easy to get close to, never have seen them looking up when it is raining

 

[j.w]

We have none around here that I know of except my friend up the road has a couple domestic ones and wonder if that rain thing is just a joke! Can't believe they'd be that dumb,lol!

Ok just had to go check on the net:


Wild Turkey Image Gallery

Is there a reason this turkey is looking down? See more pictures of wild turkeys.
Photo courtesy Gary M. Stolz U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Turkeys are the mainstay of our Thanksgiving feast. Maybe it's their awkward gait, the wobbly red wattles under their necks, or the strange sounds they make, but turkeys have gained a reputation for being stupid creatures. Some people even use the word "turkey" to mean inept or stupid.
Perhaps the "dumb bird" reputation is the reason behind the tale that during a rainstorm, turkeys will stare up at the sky with their beaks hanging open, transfixed, until they drown. Although turkeys sometimes do tilt their heads up at the sky and remain there for several moments, scientists say the idea that turkeys drown that way is just a myth.
Turkeys have monocular vision. Their eyes are located on either side of their head so they can look at two things at once, but both eyes can't focus on the same image at the same time like human eyes. Although this feature helps turkeys avoid potential predators, it doesn't give them very much depth of vision. Turkeys tend to tilt their heads to the side to get a better look at something. If a turkey were to tilt its head backwards to look at the rain, it would likely have trouble focusing on the raindrops.
So why do turkeys sometimes stare skyward? Tom Savage, a professor of animal science at Oregon State University, says that the root of this behavior is not stupidity, but genes. In the early 1990s, he discovered an inherited condition in turkeys, called tetanic torticollar spasms. This condition can cause turkeys to exhibit abnormal behaviors, such as looking at the sky for 30 seconds or more at a time.
Turkeys actually aren't as dumb as they may look. They socialize with each other, and if humans are around, they will come over to greet them.
Here are some real facts about turkeys: ­

• Domestic turkeys can't fly; they lose their aerodynamic properties because of how they are bred for heavy meat production, although they will sometimes try to hop around. Wild turkeys, however, can fly for short bursts.
• Turkeys get spooked by loud noises, and when they do, they often crowd together along a fence.
• The wild turkey was Benjamin Franklin's pick for America's national bird.