Our turkeys have a new turkey house up on the hill. Unfortunately, the foxes managed to get a few of them and we’re currently left with 4 majestic birds.
Did you know that the turkey is native to North America and acquired its English name by a series of confusions?
Firstly, the name Turkey cock was applied in England to the guinea fowl, which DID not originate from Turkey but from the Guinea coast of West Africa. Portuguese traders who introduced them to Europe apparently sailed via Turkey (the country) and hence the name Turkey cock.
When early English settlers and explorers came across a large edible bird in North America, they named it Turkey cock or turkey for short, even though the similarity between the two birds in fairly limited.
(Source: What’s In A Word? By John Kane)
Moonriver Lodge 