As God as my witness, turkeys CAN fly

Even if you've never watched the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati , there's one line you're probably familiar with.

“As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly .”

That’s Dayton native Gordon Jump as Mr. Carlson, owner of the fictional radio station, after a promotion that’s not gone as envisioned.

Without giving away any spoilers, insinuating turkeys can't fly is the punchline for the sitcom's Thanksgiving episode. But, the thing is…

“Yes. They can fly.”

Rickey Kinley is head birder at the Cincinnati Zoo. He admits they're not great flyers.

“If a predator or a threat comes along, they can have a very strong burst of flight where they get off the ground and they can fly up into trees, or fly a short distance away,” he says.

Kinley says their wings are among the shortest of most bird