Turkey—The Symbol of America?

Ben Franklin might have had the right idea when he suggested that the turkey, not the bald eagle, should have been selected to symbolize America.

What animals could better represent Americans than the wild turkey—resistant to extermination, hard to intimate, highly adaptable, impressionable, sociable and, yes, smart?

Unfortunately for the turkey, it also happens to be fun to hunt and good to eat, facts that nearly killed all these birds by the turn of the century. Had there been an Endangered Species Act at the end of World War II, biologists say, the wild turkey would surely have been listed.

Today, however, the bird is one of conservation's best success stories.

Thanks to an aggressive and well-planned capture, transfer and release program aided by modern-day hunters, the wild turkey population in the United States has grown to 4.2 million, which now inhabit every state but Alaska, 10 more than their ancestors called home.

The near-extinction of wild turkeys began in the last century when settlers pushed westward, cutting down the trees in which they roosted and hunting them without restraint for food and commerce. The population is believed to have bottomed out at the turn of the century at 30 000 to 10 000 birds.

According to Dr. James Earl Kennamer, a biologist in South Carolina, these wary survivors took refuge in remote and largely inaccessible areas, like the swamps near Mobile, Alabama, and the mountains of Pennsylvania.

These days, though, countless hens wander freely in groups, through the woods and fields of rural and suburban America and are often seen feeding along heavily trafficked roadways. There are wild turkeys in metropolitan Atlanta and the suburbs of New York and Boston.

"Wild turkeys have proved to be more adaptable than we ever thought," said Dr. James G Dickson, a research biologist with the U.S. Forest Service. They often seem not disturbed by people, especially when tempted by a feast and not chased by dogs and guns.

According to National Wildlife magazine, a man in Massachusetts counted 78 wild turkeys in his yard after he and his neighbors sprinkled corn on their lawns to attract them. "The wild turkey is really America's bird," Dr. Diekson said. "It is native to North America and steeped in American traditions. It was an early food source for Native Americans and the first European settlers. And the head of an-excited gobbler is red, white and blue."

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of bird is used to represent America?
2. Why were turkeys nearly killed out at the turn of the century?
3. How did turkeys survive their worst times?
4. Where can wild turkeys be found in America?
5. Under what conditions can turkeys live peacefully with human beings?

(Keys.)