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You probably studied all about the first Thanksgiving in school before this holiday break and hopefully you also took a little time to think about all the things you have to be grateful for. And, like 95% of Americans, you may be having turkey for dinner this Thanksgiving.

Find out more about these birds than you would ever want to know in this Tribune issue dedicated to Turkey trivia!

So why is a turkey called “turkey?” Here are some of the possible explanations:

Columbus thought that the land he discovered was connected to India, where there are lots of peacocks.

• And he believed turkeys were a type of peacock (they’re actually a type of pheasant.) So he named them tuka, which is “peacock” in the Tamil language of India.
• Another explanation is that firkee (sounds like turkey) was the Native American name for the bird.
• When the turkey is scared it makes a noise that sounds like “turk, turk, turk.”
• Turkeys could be named after the country of Turkey.

• The weird fleshy red thing that hangs below a turkey’s bill is a wattle.
• Wattles only appear on male turkeys, which are called gobblers or toms.
• Female turkeys are hens.
• Young males are called jakes.
• Gobblers have growths called caruncles (car-uncle) located on the side and back of the neck.
• Gobblers also have snoods or dew which are the fleshy things growing above and resting across the bill.