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The Domestic Turkey and the First Thanksgiving

10,000 Birds

They became known as “Turkie Fowl” (spelling varies) because they were coming from the general direction of Turkey. The “Fowl” was dropped and the term “Turkey” was applied to other large Galliformes that were encountered in the New World. They may have also had hunting dogs with them as well.

Turkey 221
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Filling the Gap Left By DeBooy’s Rail

10,000 Birds

It is now believed to have been a fairly common resident of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands until the arrival of the first humans when it went the way of most flightless easy to catch island birds immediately after the arrival of man. Can we find a suitable island free from feral predators that would devastate the introduced species?