Listening on Earth: The Many Sounds of Wild Turkeys
Air Date: November 17, 2023
The wild cousins of the centerpiece on many Thanksgiving tables do more than just gobble. Turkeys squawk, chirp, and even softly “purr” to express contentment in a flock.
Transcript
DOERING: The wild cousins of the centerpiece on many Thanksgiving tables do more than just gobble. Turkeys squawk –
FLUTTERING AND SQUAWKING SFX, Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
DOERING: Chirp when they’re poults, or chicks –
CHICKS AND HEN CALLING SFX, Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
DOERING: And even softly “purr” to express contentment in a flock.
TURKEY ‘PURR’ SFX, Geoffrey Keller / Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
DOERING: And of course, there’s the gobble itself.
TURKEY GOBBLES SFX, Brian Sullivan / Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
DOERING: Toms use it to attract hens and fend off rivals.
TURKEY GOBBLES SFX, Brian Sullivan / Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
DOERING: The National Wild Turkey Federation lists a dozen types of turkey calls. (Hunters hone the skill of “turkey calling” to bring their quarries into range to become Thanksgiving dinner.)
FLUTTERING AND SQUAWKING SFX, Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
DOERING: These calls come from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
MUSIC: Marcus Roberts, “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” on A Merry Jazzmas, BMG Music
