What Is a Turkey?
A turkey is a bird. It has feathers, breathes air and hatches from an egg.
Turkeys need food, clean water, shelter and room to move.
Turkey
A turkey is a large farm bird. It has feathers, a beak, two wings and two strong legs. A turkey can make a gobbling sound.
Fun Facts About Turkeys
- A baby turkey is called a poult.
- A turkey can make a gobbling sound.
- A male turkey can spread its tail like a fan.
- Turkeys can walk, run and flap their wings.
Home, Food, and Movement
- Home: a safe, dry farm shelter
- Food: turkey food, seeds and plants
- Movement: walks, runs and scratches
- Sound: gobbles
Easy Practice Sentences
Easy: I see a turkey.
Medium: The turkey walks across the farmyard.
Challenge: The turkey spreads its colourful tail.
Say each sentence aloud and point to the picture.
Activity Idea
Make a colourful turkey picture.
- Draw a turkey body in the centre of a sheet of paper.
- Add a wide fan of separate tail feathers behind it.
- Use patterns, shapes or repeated colours to decorate the feathers.
- Tell a grown-up what sound the turkey makes.
This activity supports drawing, pattern making, labelling, vocabulary and close observation.
Turkey Body Parts
- Beak: helps the turkey pick up food
- Eyes: help the turkey see
- Wings: help the turkey flap
- Feathers: cover the body and keep it warm
- Feet: help the turkey walk and scratch
Look and Think
- Which body parts show that a turkey is a bird?
- What colours and patterns can you see in its feathers?
- How are the turkey’s legs and feet suited to walking and scratching?
- Why might a male turkey spread his tail and puff out his feathers?
Learning Safely Around Turkeys
- Stay with a grown-up.
- Move calmly, give turkeys space and never chase or tease them.
- Never chase a turkey or go near its nest.
- Ask before touching or feeding one.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after contact with turkeys or their living area and before eating.
Compare and Think
- Turkey and chicken: both are ground-feeding farm birds, but turkeys are generally larger.
- Turkey and duck: both have feathers. A duck has webbed feet.
- Turkey and pig: a turkey has feathers. A pig has hair.
Turkey Words to Learn
- Poult: a baby turkey
- Hen: a grown-up female turkey
- Tom: a grown-up male turkey
- Gobble: a loud, rolling call associated especially with male turkeys
- Beak: a turkey’s hard mouth
- Feather: the soft covering on a turkey
- Tail: feathers a turkey can spread like a fan
Check understanding
Quick Questions
Say each answer aloud. Then check it with a grown-up.
Q1
What is a baby turkey called?
Answer
A baby turkey is called a poult.
Q2
What is an adult male turkey called?
Answer
An adult male turkey is called a tom.
Q3
What sound does a turkey make?
Answer
A turkey gobbles.
Q4
What covers a turkey’s body?
Answer
Feathers cover its body.