There is a widely held myth that Benjamin Franklin wanted a turkey to be the National Bird instead of an eagle. However, he did not directly request this change.
Benjamin actually wrote a letter to his daughter, complaining about the eagle design for the Great Seal. In the letter, he made a joke that it looked like a turkey. He also wrote that turkey is a more respectable bird than the poorly designed eagle. Many people interpreted this remark as Franklin's suggestion to make turkey a national bird, which he never actually mentioned.