Turkeys were brought back to Europe by the Spanish. But in the late 1500's and early 1600's, it was forbidden for Spanish goods to be traded or sold to England (Spanish King Philip was still a bit grumpy about the destruction of the Spanish Armada.) A sea-captain, bringing in a load of the birds and hoping to make a good profit, told the British Customs Agents of the day that they came from his home country of Turkey, hence the name "Turkey Birds" later shortened to Turkeys.