Discovered that wild turkeys live 4 times longer than normal chickens

Wildlife officials in the state of Pennsylvania, USA, recently made something that they both surprised and never thought they would see: a 12-year-old wild turkey. Apparently, this bird has found a way to live four times longer than normal chickens.

Wildlife officials in Pennsylvania caught a turkey with the tag on its leg this year, revealing that it was previously tagged in 2012.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission confirmed on Facebook that it discovered the aged turkey during a recent research project. The turkey is a bit of a mystery, state officials say, as the average hen in the state only lives about one to three years.

Wildlife Society employee Chris Ivicic spoke to local news agency Mossy Oak, about the bird. According to him, the first time he trapped the bird was during a project in 2012. After that, the turkey was tagged and released into the wild. At that time, it was determined that the bird was 1.5 years old.

However, in 2022, when a group of trappers working on a hen population project went out to collect specimens, the bird was recaptured.

A turkey lives an average of 1 to 3 years.

The team found that one of the turkeys had a bandage on its leg. When they checked the numbers, they realized that this was the same chicken that was caught in 2012.

The older turkey seems to be healthy and active. In fact, the trappers put a transmitter on it only then realized how old the animal was.

While the 12-year-old turkey isn't the longest-lived chicken ever discovered in the wild, it's close to reaching that number. If this bird lived to be 5 years old, it could become the oldest turkey ever recorded.