A popular legend says that Benjamin Franklin advocated for the turkey to be the national bird instead of the bald eagle. This is not the whole story, according to the Franklin Institute.

Also in 1782, Congress designated the bald eagle as the national emblem ... because it steals food from other bird species and deemed the turkey “a much more respectable bird.” ...

Congress, supplemented by lobbying efforts from the National Eagle Center ... Benjamin Franklin allegedly preferred the turkey, a bird also native to the U.S., to become the official bird ...

US Turkey Producers Should Ramp up Bird Flu Testing, USDA Says By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. poultry producers should ramp up testing and monitoring of turkeys for bird flu before they ...

The agency is advising enhanced safety measures in Minnesota and South Dakota, where turkey flocks with more than 500 birds should be isolated, monitored and tested for bird flu within 72 hours ...