Talking Turkey
Learn about fine feathered friends at Charlotte Nature Museum
November 16, 2011Charlotte, NC – Snoods, wattles, beards and spurs? Strut your stuff alongside Thanksgiving’s most notable guest, the turkey, and learn about special turkey talents and characteristics during Charlotte Nature Museum November Creature Feature: Turkey Talk on Saturday, November 19, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
It might ruffle your feathers to know that only males display the famous fanlike tail, and tousled feathers commonly associated with domesticated turkeys [Meleagris gallopavo]. Female turkeys lay 4 to 17 eggs and feed their chicks after they hatch—but only for a few days. This noble fowl, domesticated by Native Americans more than 1,500 years before Christopher Columbus and his crew sailed to the New World, has been a favored holiday food for centuries. Did you know that turkeys can dash up to 18 miles per hour – faster than an Olympic runner – and that their gobbles can be heard a mile away?
Several fine feathered friends from partridges (Perdix perdix) to Carolina Waterfowl Rescue’s turkey will make a special visit to Charlotte Nature Museum during Turkey Talk for little ones to meet and greet. Turkey trivia will be something to cluck about as you learn funny facts like why female turkeys have beards.
Flock to story time for feathery tales including “Turkey Pox” by Laurie Halse Anderson, “Sometimes it’s Turkey – Sometimes it’s Feathers” by Lorna Balian and ӒTwas the Night Before Thanksgiving” by Dav Pilkey. Make sure to stop by for “The Unloveables” Puppet Show and take the time to give thanks to someone special by making them a thumbprint turkey thank-you note in The Naturalist Lab.
Creature Features, presented by Earth Fare with support from The Guild of Discovery Place and Charlotte Nature Museum, are monthly special events and include crafts, Puppet Shows, storytelling and refreshments (while supplies last). Creature Feature activities are FREE with Museum admission. Admission: $6 ages two and older, younger-than-two and Members are free. Parking is free.
Charlotte Nature Museum is located at 1658 Sterling Road, Charlotte. Hours are: Tuesday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday noon – 5:00 p.m.; and closed on Monday.
Charlotte Nature Museum offers visitors the chance to get close to wildlife and walk among free-flying butterflies in Butterfly Pavilion, observe live animals in Creature Cavern, buzz by Insect Alley or just hang out in Our Big Backyard. Visitors can learn together during workshops, summer camps and more. Daily programming including hands-on activities provide the opportunity for structured learning and informal play for kids of all ages. Charlotte Nature Museum is operated by Discovery Place, Inc.
###
