Open/Close All The turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) was adopted as Alabama's official game bird in 1980. A Popular Symbol Alabama, Massachusetts and South Carolina all call the turkey their official game bird. However, the turky is better known as a symbol of Thanksgiving. This article is a stub. More information will be added as time allows. In the meantime, please explore the links below. Links GeoStacks Links Geopedia biology/natural history State Birds 101 List of State Birds