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Today's entry: November 23

Come back to this page each day to read another entry from Cathie Katz's beautifully illustrated journal, "Nature a Day at a Time."

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are similar to domestic turkeys but thinner and with slightly different colors.

Male turkeys have an inspiring array of feathers with an iridescence and design worthy of competing with any exotic bird - but for their commonness, they would be considered as impressive as eagles or falcons. However, the females - for whom their tails glow- are suitably impressed as the males strut to show off their good genes.

During courting, females choose males of their own species based partly on the male's ability to prove who he is - that is, by the effectiveness of his courtship signals. If she is confronted with several hundred males, which will she choose? The flashiest, loudest, cleverest, or biggest will be the one with the most to offer reproductively. Bright feathers and long flowing tails indicate lack of parasites and good genes.


Doo lang doo lang doo lang ...

He's so fine. Wish he were mine.

That handsome boy over there, the one with the wavy hair.

I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I'm gonna make him mine.

The Chiffons in "He's So Fine"


Cathie Katz, the author of several books on natural history, also co-founded The Drifting Seed, an international newsletter about rain forest drift seeds. In her engaging Nature a Day at a Time, published by Sierra Club Books and Random House, Katz interweaves fascinating facts about familiar creatures, pen-and-ink drawings and quotations.