The U.S. meat industry takes the lives of around 250 million turkeys each year—around 46 million for Thanksgiving alone—and most are hidden from the public eye inside factory farms. 

Birds are often portrayed as a symbol of freedom, gliding as one with the wind, something we can only dream of when we take to the sky in airplanes. While they fly only short distances, wild turkeys can fly at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour and reach treetops where they spend their nights roosting together. 

But on factory farms, a turkey’s whole world is a crowded, barren, and dirty shed. Commercially raised turkeys can’t fly like their wild counterparts—but their mobility is even more limited: some can barely walk or stand. Often, they become debilitated by the weight of their own bodies, bred to grow quickly to a size that maximizes meat production while the birds pay the price. As they suffer throughout their shortened lives, their most natural behaviors and social groups are denied to them. 

At Farm Sanctuary, where turkeys live in peace, we are lucky enough to see their personalities unfold and witness the capabilities of their impressive minds. Meanwhile, the world of science is also learning more about these animals often mistakenly viewed as unintelligent.

Here are some astonishing facts about turkeys!

Animals are often thought of as voiceless, but they have plenty of ways to speak their minds to each other and to us—and turkeys are no exception. Turkey vocabulary includes 28 distinct calls, and turkeys can communicate their different meanings by varying delivery and intensity.

Culture among animals is defined as the ability to share and learn behaviors—information passed through generations, much like in human families and communities. Turkeys learn complex behaviors from each other.

Able to recall more than 30 fellow turkeys, these birds can also distinguish between the voices of others. Did you know they can also remember the faces of individual humans? You may have heard that elephants never forget, but a turkey’s memory is pretty impressive, too.

Octopuses, chameleons and iguanas are among the animals widely known for their ability to camouflage themselves, blending in with their environments. Well, turkeys change colors, too! The hue of their skin conveys different moods and emotional states, as turkey’s heads change colors depending on what they’re doing or who they’re trying to impress. Male turkeys become redder (seen below on Mateo) when courting females or in confrontational interactions with other males.

Like cats, turkeys can see light on the ultraviolet spectrum! Plus, like hawks and owls, turkeys have a nearly 360-degree field of vision. For comparison, this is only around 180 degrees in humans. So, these birds are missing a lot when all they can see is the inside of a shed.

In addition to impressive eyesight, turkeys possess acute hearing that allows them to be alert to threats. Not only that, but they can hear lower sounds and from a greater distance than humans. We know that other birds, like chickens, can hear in infrasound. It’s likely that turkeys can too, which would allow them to hear storms or earthquakes approaching.

Turkeys form close social relationships and complex social groups, and hens have been known to “adopt” or take care of hatchlings beyond their own. Plus, mothers and poults begin communicating even before hatching — vocalizing through the egg.

In the wild, turkeys live an average lifespan of three-four years. In the meat industry, these birds are killed at only 12-19 weeks old. Hens used for eggs will endure a laying cycle of 25 weeks before they, too, are slaughtered.

Due to their selective breeding for unnaturally large size and rapid growth, today’s industrially farmed turkeys have been left physically unable to mate naturally. Instead, semen is collected from male turkeys and hens are inseminated using a syringe or straw.

Birds considered “poultry” by the USDA — including turkeys, chickens, geese, and ducks — are denied any federal protections governing their treatment on farms and in slaughterhouses. Poultry are excluded from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. Yet, chickens and turkeys account for roughly 98 percent of all land animals killed for human consumption.

At Farm Sanctuary, we are changing the way the world sees turkeys and building the good by advocating for food systems that don’t involve the exploitation of turkeys and all other animals. Now that you have learned more about these remarkable birds, please join us in standing up for them.

Our 2024 Adopt a Turkey campaign launches on November 1. By symbolically adopting a rescued turkey in our flock, you will sponsor their ongoing care at Farm Sanctuary and help us to continue advocating for those still suffering in our food system. Stay tuned for your chance to make an impact this year!