Tracing the origins of the turkey

During excavations at Paul St in central Exeter in 1983, archaeologists found the leg and wingbones of a large bird.

Malene Lauritsen, of Exeter University, has just completed a detailed examination of the bones. According to a report on the Science Daily website, experts think they could be “the remains of the first ever turkey dinner in England”.

The turkey, a relative of the pheasants grouse and domestic chicken, is not a European species. It’s found east of the Rockies from Mexico to Canada in areas of open woodland with clearings. Writing to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin suggested that the turkey, not the bald eagle, should be America’s national bird.