I have read that Ben Franklin proposed the turkey as our national bird, because it is much smarter than the eagle.

Info I'm told: the wild turkey is an extremely intelligent bird, and therefore extremely difficult to hunt.
Info from experience: the domesticated turkey is one of the stupidest birds in existence.

One sometimes hears that "domesticated turkeys are so lacking in intelligence that they will look up at falling rain until they drown." This, though apparently an urban legend, is a fair metaphor for the animal's intelligence.
http://www.snopes2.com/critters/wild/turkey.htm