The Strange Question Rick And Morty Season 5 Episode 6 Has The Internet Researching

"Rick and Morty" Season 5 premiered in June 2021, firing on all proverbial cylinders from the get-go. "Mort Dinner Rick Andre," the debut episode of its fifth season, introduced audiences to Mr. Nimbus (voiced by series co-creator Dan Harmon), a hybrid of, according to producer Scott Marder, the Marvel antihero Namor the Sub-Mariner and rock icon David Bowie. Throughout the episode, Morty (voiced by Justin Roiland) must periodically travel through time to age bottles of wine for Rick's (also Justin Roiland) dinner with Mr. Nimbus, while likewise trying to spend time with his crush Jessica (Kari Wahlgren). Many of the episodes that have followed have gone on to feature similarly intricate plots, woven from disparate story threads.

In the opening minute or so of Season 5 Episode 6, entitled "Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular," Morty both destroys part of the Declaration of Independence (confirmed to include the "National Treasure" map) and unleashes a giant rampaging robot from within the Statue of Liberty. In order to dodge the U.S. government's attempts at capturing him and Morty in retribution, Rick plans on transforming into a turkey and receiving the president's annual Thanksgiving Day pardon. Rick has done this before, however, and the president is prepared to stop him. In the resulting chaos, a regular turkey is transformed into a turkey-human hybrid version of the president. The real president, along with Rick and Morty, then unleash an army of aliens to fight the imposter president's turkey army.

"Rick and Morty" fans have since been turning to Google in the wake of "Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular" to explore a piece of real-life trivia mentioned offhandedly by the imposter turkey president. As it turns out, Harmon and co. do their research.

As "Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular" nears its climax, the real president approaches the turkey president with Rick and Morty in tow and compels him to surrender, pointing out that his turkey troops are falling to the army of aliens. "You can't beat our ancient warriors," the president says.

"Can't I?" the turkey president replies. "My kind has always dealt with predators. That's why we sleep in trees."

In response, user u/butt_toof shared a post to the "Rick and Morty" subreddit proposing that fans of the series have been Googling en masse whether this tidbit is "Rick and Morty" absurdity or real-world trivia. More than 650 users upvoted the post, suggesting that many viewers have, in fact, been wondering whether or not turkeys sleep in trees.

Some commenters shared their turkeys-in-trees stories in the post's replies. User pelrun, for example, recounted, "First time I learned this was when I saw the silhouette of a turkey in a tree at night at a friends house... while drunk. HOW DID IT GET UP THERE? WHY IS IT STARING AT ME? Scariest thing I've ever seen."

The top comment, meanwhile, by user Oiseauii, points out that birds sleeping in trees is a common and widespread phenomenon called roosting. 

As another comment by Puzzleheaded_Art433 suggests, those who falsely think of turkeys as flightless birds might easily mistake them as a non-roosting species.

In short, then, the answer to seemingly numerous "Rick and Morty" fans' shared question is: Yes, turkeys do indeed sleep in trees.