How Smart Are Turkeys? Everything We Know About Their Intelligence

Thanksgiving Day is around the corner, and the centerpiece of most dining room tables will feature a roasted and stuffed turkey. This bird has traditionally been the star of Thanksgiving feasts for over 150 years. But few people know how intelligent and complex wild turkeys are.

Turkey History

Native to North America, the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) can be found in every American state. It’s also the country’s largest ground-dwelling bird. These animals were once decimated by development, timber harvesting, and overhunting. In the 1940s and 1950s, they were quickly becoming an endangered species. There are about 3.5 million wild turkeys in the U.S., an amazing return to healthy population numbers.

So, how did they become such a central symbol in the nation’s Thanksgiving Day meal?

In the 19th century, Sarah Josepha Hale significantly promoted Thanksgiving as a national holiday. A prominent American writer and editor, she wrote editorials and letters advocating for the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national day of gratitude. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday, partly thanks to Hale’s campaign. Over time, the Thanksgiving feast became a symbol of unity and gratitude. Before long, the roast turkey emerged as the country’s central dish on dinner tables.

Mental Abilities

These birds are not just renowned for their delicious meat. They have keen eyesight and can fly about 55 miles per hour. Turkeys can also run as fast as 18 miles per hour. But did you know that they also possess impressive cognitive skills?

Ask any experienced wild turkey hunter — these birds can outsmart their predators. Thanks to innate skills and mental prowess, they can escape and survive in almost any situation. Studies have shown they have incredible problem-solving abilities. They have been observed learning from experiences and adapting to new situations.

Memory

One of the ways turkeys learn from experience is through their exceptional memory. They can remember and recognize specific individuals — humans and other turkeys — even after several months apart. This ability to recognize familiar faces gives them advanced social traits that few other birds share. Turkeys also have a keen sense of spatial awareness, which is an important tool in navigating their environment. It also helps them locate food sources more efficiently.

Community

Turkeys are usually spotted roaming in a flock, and that’s because they thrive in social communities. These communities contain complex hierarchies, and they are tight-knit. For example, if you remove a turkey from its flock, it will scream and squawk until it’s returned. The bonds they create can sometimes last their entire lives, and they don’t like to be separated from their community.

Emotional Intelligence

Turkeys also mourn the deaths of fellow flock members. They can demonstrate a wide range of emotions. They can empathize with other turkeys, displaying distress when witnessing another in pain. This empathetic behavior is previously thought to be exclusive to higher-order animals.

Problem-Solving

In addition to their emotional intelligence, turkeys have remarkable problem-solving skills. For instance, turkeys have been observed using sticks and other objects to scratch their heads or reach inaccessible areas. This kind of innovation shows how well they can work through a problem. Few other animals can use objects as tools.

Communication

Turkey also possesses a fairly sophisticated communication system. They use their signature call, body language, and visual displays to get in touch with other turkeys. So far, humans have identified about 20 unique styles of vocalization patterns among turkeys. By communicating with others, they can work together to solve problems, locate food, and signal predators close by. They even have specific calls for finding and mating with other turkeys.

All of these qualities translate to a higher sense of self-preservation. With the ability to solve problems, communicate with others, and be aware of their surroundings, turkeys are adept at evading capture. They can recognize and respond to danger so quickly that they can elude even the most experienced hunters and predators.

Turkeys are more than just a Thanksgiving Day meal. They are both skillful and intelligent, with impressive emotional capabilities. Not only does this animal represent gratitude and togetherness, but it’s also a symbol of resilience, tenacity, and cleverness.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Cavan Images/ via Getty Images