As turkeys are a strong theme with the celebration of Thanksgiving in the United States, a photo of an Australian brush turkey (or scrub turkey) seemed appropriate. Unrelated to the American turkeys that are about to be feasted upon, the brush turkeys are popular in Australian bushland and picnic areas with limited fear of people.
These impressive birds live in groups with a communal nest tended by the dominant male. He monitors the temperature of the nest with his beak adding or removing leaves, stones and twigs to ensure the ideal incubation temperature. Their bright red and yellow head colouring and wattles make them a highlight of any bush walk.
So - the big question - do you eat them in Australia?
ReplyDelete@sherry: we don't eat scrub turkeys but we do eat traditional turkeys. Australians don't celebrate Thanksgiving so there is no special day for turkey though some people serve it at Christmas (too hot for me, I prefer cold food at Christmas).
ReplyDelete@buffy: Thank you for your kind words.
ReplyDelete