Turkeys are super-smart and naturally curious, just like dogs, pigs, and many other animals. They love having their feathers stroked and enjoy listening to music—sometimes, they’ll even sing along! Turkeys can also change color. Cool, right? And like all animals, these interesting and beautiful birds don’t want to end up on holiday dinner plates any more than you do.

Want to learn more about turkeys? Check out these fun facts and photos of them being their awesome selves, and find out how you can help them this holiday season!

1. Turkeys travel in groups.

They spend lots of time with their families and love them very much. Turkeys also get really sad when one of their family members passes away, just like people do

2. These awesome birds can jump crazy-high to reach food on tree branches.

Don’t you wish you could jump that high? We sure wish we could.

3. Turkeys have different personalities and interests.

Some turkeys are very silly and playful (often fooling around with other wild animals like squirrels and baby deer!) while other turkeys are shy.

4. Turkeys can purr like cats.

Many of these birds are affectionate and like to snuggle, just as you might do with your parents and animal companions. When they’re cuddling with each other or being petted, they purr—just like our fury feline friends

5. Turkeys bond with their moms in the first couple of minutes after hatching.

Even before they hatch, they communicate with their mothers from inside their eggs by making little noises. After they’re hatched, they stay with their mothers for months.

6. These cuties are extremely smart.

Most human babies and toddlers need their parents to teach them which foods are safe for them, but turkeys are born knowing which insects are dangerous and which ones they can eat! They also know which snakes are poisonous and which ones aren’t, without being taught.

7. Turkeys can fly.

In nature, turkeys can live up to 10 years, run 18 miles an hour, and fly 55 miles an hour. Wow—that’s as fast as some cars travel on highways!

8. Trees are their favorite places to nap.

Roosting is when turkeys—and some other birds, such as chickens—nap together in groups. Turkeys usually fly high up into trees to roost in the branches.

9. Turkeys have super-interesting faces.

Like humans, the parts of a turkey’s face have different names, such as “wattle” and “snood,” and they do different things, like attract partners. A turkey’s head and facial features change color, turning red, pink, blue, or white, depending on their mood.

10. Turkeys have their own language!

Certain calls mean different things. For example, one call will alert their brothers and sisters when a rattlesnake is nearby, and another sound will mean that they see something they think is cool—kind of like how you communicate with your friends on a playground!

Every year, more than 46 million of these cute, loving birds are killed for holiday meals. Show love for turkeys by pledging not to eat them!