Birds are often depicted as symbols of freedom, soaring through the sky, but did you even know that turkeys can fly? In the wild, although they travel short distances, turkeys can fly at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour and spend nights roosting together high in the treetops.

But for commercially raised turkeys, the world is reduced to the crowded and barren sheds in which they spend most of their lives. Each year, over 200 million turkeys are raised and slaughtered in the United States, around 46 million for Thanksgiving alone. 

At Farm Sanctuary, where turkeys live in peace and safety, we see their unique personalities shine through and get to witness their intelligence and the depth of their emotional lives.

Here are some fascinating facts about turkeys!

Turkeys form deep, lasting bonds, and like us, they choose close companions to trust and spend time with. This includes human buddies, too. Below, Julie (whose closest feathered friend is Roberto) enjoys a snack offered by caregiver Kayla.

Like us, music can be soothing and fun for turkeys. It is one of the many types of enrichment we offer to the turkeys and other rescued residents at Farm Sanctuary, like Thelma, who loves listening to her favorite tunes or being serenaded by her caregivers.

Turkeys can recall more than 30 fellow turkeys and remember the faces of individual humans they know. They even recognize each other by the sound of their voices.

Like chickens, turkey moms communicate with their chicks (baby turkeys are called “poults”) before they even hatch from their eggs. This is meaningful for their bonds because turkeys recognize one another by their voices.

Turkeys form close and complex social groups, and hens have been known to help care for others’ hatchlings and even adopt chicks from the flock as their own.

Like octopuses and chameleons, turkeys can change colors! The hue of their skin conveys their emotional states. For example, male turkeys become redder (see Mateo below) when courting females or confronting other males.

Turkeys like Tutu (seen below) recognize the way one another sounds, just like we know the voice of someone we love. They also communicate in complex ways, using the 28 distinct calls in their vocabulary.

A turkey’s natural lifespan is about three to four years. In the meat industry, these birds are slaughtered when they’ve lived only four or five months. Hens used for eggs are killed after around 25 weeks, when they’re no longer considered profitable.

Because they’re bred to grow unnaturally large, very fast, to maximize profit, today’s industrially farmed turkeys are physically unable to mate. Instead, they are subjected to a cruel and invasive artificial insemination process.

Turkeys and other birds considered “poultry” by the USDA are denied federal protections on farms and in slaughterhouses. Despite accounting for about 98% of land animals slaughtered for food in the U.S., chickens and turkeys are excluded from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.

At Farm Sanctuary, we are transforming the lives of farm animals like turkeys, changing the way the world sees them, and building plant-based food systems rooted in compassion. Please join us in standing up for the remarkable turkeys you’ve just learned about.

Our 2026 Adopt a Turkey Project launches on October 23! By symbolically adopting a rescued turkey in our flock, you will sponsor their ongoing care at Farm Sanctuary and help us bring about change for those still suffering in our food system. Stay tuned to make an impact at AdoptaTurkey.org! 

In the meantime, embrace another kind holiday tradition: Get your tickets to join us at our festive and fun Celebration for the Turkeys in New York (Nov. 7) or California (Nov. 21). We’re excited to see you there as we honor our rescued animal residents and protect turkeys everywhere!