Last updated on December 3rd, 2025 at 09:37 am
We frequently encounter Florida’s wild turkeys while camping and hiking in Florida, so a tribute to our feathered friends is only fitting on Thanksgiving.
Florida is home to a unique turkey subspecies
Two species of wild turkey roam the Florida forests, wetlands and plains: the “Osceola” wild turkey and the “eastern wild turkey.”
The Osceola subspecies lives nowhere else in the world but the Florida peninsula. Osceolas are known for their darker, leaner appearance compared to the Eastern wild turkey, which can also be found in north Florida as well as throughout the eastern U.S.
Key identification features include dark brown tips on the tail feathers, black wings with small white bands, and iridescent colors that lean more towards green and red than bronze.
The Osceola is also distinguished by its strong gobbles and long spurs, and its preferred habitat includes swamps, hammocks, and pastures.
These birds can fly!
Wild turkeys are powerful fliers, especially for short distances. Speeds of up to 55 mph have been observed. Primarily, though, wild turkeys walk, spending most of their time on the ground searching for acorns, seeds, fruits, insects, leaves, and small vertebrates.
They can easily cover several hundred acres in a day.
Wild turkeys typically flock together in groups up to 20 or more, and they are extremely wary. They will run away or fly to a tree to escape danger. For safety from ground predators, wild turkeys roost at night in thick stands of trees.
Courtship occurs during spring. The male, also known as a gobbler or tom, will strut, fan out its tail and gobble to attract hens. During these displays, the skin on the male wild turkey’s head turns bright blue and white, and the caruncles become swollen and turn bright red.
— Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
Turkeys were domesticated long before the “First Thanksgiving”
Hundreds of years before the first Thanksgiving, Native Americans were raising and feasting on America’s classic holiday meal.
Florida State University Associate Professor of Anthropology Tanya Peres and graduate student Kelly Ledford wrote in a paper published in 2016 that Native Americans as early as 1200 – 1400 A.D. were managing and raising turkeys — long before the first Thanksgiving in 1621.
Their feathers were used on arrows, headdresses and clothing. The meat was used for food. Their bones were used for tools including scratchers used in ritual ceremonies.
There are even representations of turkeys in artifacts from the time. An intricately engraved marine shell pendant found at a site in central Tennessee shows two turkeys facing each other.
The research also indicates turkeys were more than just a casual part of life for Native Americans of that era. Peres and Ledford came across evidence that suggests Native Americans were actively managing these fowls.
The Peres-Ledford study is the first time scientists have suggested turkeys were potentially domesticated by early Native Americans in the southeastern United States, according to Popular Archeology magazine.
— Includes excerpts from article by Kathleen Haughney, FSU News
Simple Turkey Roast, Florida style
from the Florida Department of Agriculture
Turkey with Florida Citrus Brine
Ingredients
- 1 turkey
- 3 Florida oranges, halved
- 1 cup Florida honey
- 1 cup Florida orange juice
- 2 lemons, halved
- 2 limes, halved
- 1-2 gallons warm water
- 4 cups ice
- 1 cup sea salt
- Fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- Butcher’s twine
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
Brine
In a large container or cooler, prepare brine by combining warm water, orange juice, 1 cup sea salt, honey, bay leaves and fresh citrus. Whisk until the honey and salt are dissolved and add ice to cool the mixture. Place the turkey in the brine for 12 to 24 hours. Keep cool by storing in the refrigerator, or if using a cooler continually add ice to keep cold. To cook, remove the turkey and dry the skin thoroughly. Discard brine.
Roast
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (or follow package instructions). Using your (clean) hands or a barbeque brush, cover turkey with softened butter. Generously season the outside and inside of the bird with salt and pepper. Place fresh herbs inside turkey and tie legs together with butcher’s twine (this will ensure turkey cooks even). Roast according to package instructions, basting every 30 minutes to 60 minutes, or until a digital food thermometer reads 165 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
Fresh Tip: Brines are versatile! Experiment by using different combinations of herbs and spices. Brines can be used with poultry and pork products to enhance flavor.
Recipe credit: Fresh from Florida (Florida Department of Agriculture)
Happy Thanksgiving
from your friends at Florida Rambler!
