Meleagrology (TURKEYS) with Cyler Conrad

Wattles. Snoods. Struts. Vibes. It’s not November, which is exactly why we’re putting this episode out. All day every day, turkeys are out there like beanbags with stick legs. Let’s take a moment, or 90 minutes, with Archaeologist, Meleagrologist, and turkey researcher,  Dr. Cyler Conrad. We’ll find out if they can fly, do they like to kiss, where did they get their audacity, turkeys versus my car door, if they can survive a rainstorm, the deep connections between Indigenous cultures and North American turkeys, creepy turkeys, alternative universes, if one can eat turkey eggs, where do they nest, what’s up with the wishbone and so many inconvenient facts that will have you questioning what you thought you knew about these so-called thunder chickens. 

Follow Dr. Conrad on Google Scholar

A donation went to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Condorology (CONDORS & VULTURES), Ornithology (BIRDS), Food Anthropology (FEASTS), Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE COOKING), Plumology (FEATHERS), Indigenous Pedology (SOIL SCIENCE), Oology (EGGS), Experimental Archeology (OLD TOOLS/ATLATLS), Araneology (SPIDERS)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.