VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Those who are familiar with the famous "gobble, gobble, gobble" may be surprised to hear that turkeys' sounds are affected by the weather. Our 13News Now meteorologist Craig Moeller explained exactly how the effects occur alongside the renowned birds at Flanagan Farm in Virginia Beach.
The weather can impact many different kinds of livestock -- and turkeys are no exception.
“I’ve heard stories of turkeys plunked in the head by raindrops, looking up to see what hit them, and drowning," said Moeller.
But the weather can affect how much they gobble too, according to to research by the National Wild Turkey Federation.
While turkeys don’t mind which way the wind blows, they do seem to gobble more when winds are light, between 3 and 6 mph. Gobbling tapers off as winds get a bit stronger, and almost no gobbling occurs when winds exceed 12 mph.
Humidity did not impact how much turkeys gobble, however.
When average daily temperatures are between 60-69° Fahrenheit, gobbling activity picks up. If it gets much warmer, activity typically decreases.
Barometric pressure also appears to affect the amount of gobbling. Birds gobbled more with higher pressure, most active between 29.90 and 30.20 inches. When pressure drops below 29.7 inches, they go quiet.
The weather on Thursday is going to be pretty nice and high pressure is going to build. So, the turkeys are due to sing this year. But Moeller advises that they may want to keep it down...