The bird called a turkey, is a word that has roots in which Turkish occupation?

While there are two theories for the origin and the derivation of the English word and name for the bird called a turkey, both theories align and identify Turkish merchants as the occupation contributing to the origin of the word.

Mario Pei, (1901-1978) a Columbia University professor of Romance languages has two theories, both identifying Turkish merchants for the origin of the word. One theory is that when Europeans first encountered this bird in America, they incorrectly identified the bird as a type of 'guineafowl', which were already being imported into Europe by Turkey merchants via Constantinople. The birds were therefore nicknamed 'Turkey coqs'. The name of the North American bird thus became 'turkey fowl' or 'Indian turkeys', which was then shortened to just turkeys.

The second theory arises from turkeys coming to England not directly from the Americas, but via merchant ships from the Middle East, where they were successfully domesticated. Again the importers lent the name to the bird; Middle Eastern merchants were called 'Turkey merchants' as much of that area was part of the Ottoman Empire. Hence the name 'Turkey-cocks and "Turkey hens', and soon thereafter, turkeys.

In 1550, the English navigator William Strickland, who had introduced the bird into England, was granted a coat of arms including a "turkey-cock in his pride proper".

William Shakespeare used the term in 'Twelfth Night' (1601 or 1602) suggesting that the term was already widespread.