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Conserve and Defend

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Check out the turkey Nicholas shot in West Virginia during spring 2026. Although the contour feathers on the body and the rump feathers appear normal, the primary and secondary feathers on the wings are mostly white. Furthermore, several of the feathers in the tail fan have pale white hues in them, which gives the fan a truly unique appearance. Well, genetic testing through wildturkeyDNA revealed that this unique bird is 100% wild turkey. As you can see in the second image, this wild turkey clusters directly within the hundreds of samples we’ve tested from Eastern wild turkeys. This bird is partially leucistic, which is caused by a genetic mutation that disrupts melanin production. The disruption in melanin production causes various feathers on the bird, in this case the primaries and secondaries, to appear mostly white. As we are learning through wildturkeyDNA, partial leucism occurs in wild turkeys throughout many parts of their geographic range. Stay tuned for more results from wildturkeyDNA as we explore the origin of plumage color variations and evaluate population genetics in these magnificent birds.

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This week, wildturkeyDNA rolls into the hills of West Virginia to determine the origin of the odd plumage in the turkey Nicholas shot during spring 2026. We’ll post results tomorrow but drop your thoughts as to the origin of the unique plumage in this turkey in the comments below. Is it a wild turkey, a Heritage turkey, or something else?
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#science #conservation

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When Tim harvested this turkey in Louisiana during spring 2026, he quickly reached out to us at wildturkeyDNA to see if we could help him determine the origin of the odd plumage in this bird. In short, Tim wondered whether he shot a smoke phase wild turkey, or a Heritage turkey that had escaped or been released. The tail feathers on this bird appear normal for a wild turkey, although the tips on both the tail feathers and rump feathers are lighter than you’d expect for the Eastern subspecies, which is what occurs in Louisiana. The secondary coverts on the wing are white with black tips, and the contour feathers on the body are also white with varying amounts of black in them. Well, genetics testing through wildturkeyDNA revealed that this turkey is 100% wild turkey. In the second image, you can clearly see that Tim’s bird clusters solidly with the hundreds of samples we have tested from Eastern wild turkeys. This is the second bird we’ve tested through wildturkeyDNA that appears to be a smoke phase wild turkey! Congratulations to Tim for harvesting such a unique wild turkey and stay tuned for more results from wildturkeyDNA as we explore the origin of plumage variations and evaluate population genetics in these magnificent birds.
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#science #research #turkeyhunting

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This week wildturkeyDNA heads down to the bayou in Louisiana where Tim shot a unique looking turkey during spring 2026. We’ll post results tomorrow, but drop your thoughts in the comments as to what you think is the origin of the plumage on this bird? It is a wild turkey, a Heritage turkey, or something else?
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#science #research #wildturkeyhunting

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This Turkey Tuesday is about gobbling, which is an activity toms do all year long – including during fall. The other day, I was scrolling through cell camera images and saw a series that included several toms, and one image clearly showed a tom gobbling. That took me back decades to when I was deer hunting as a child and had a tom gobbling his head off most of the afternoon while I sat hoping (fruitlessly) to see a deer. So, what prompts a tom to gobble, sometimes quite a bit, during the fall? Well, ebbs and flows in testosterone result in some toms getting fired up enough in fall to start gobbling, particularly when around other toms. Unlike during spring when testosterone levels get high enough for toms to gobble daily, during fall you typically see one bird in a flock gobble whereas others do not. You’ll also see certain toms in a flock gobble at times but there may be no consistency to who gobbles and when. Regardless, gobbling around other toms in the same flock during fall is primarily a way to assert dominance and challenge other flock members. We think of spring as a time when toms focus on dominance, but the battles to establish dominance occur throughout fall and winter in the flocks we’re seeing. The take home is gobbling during the fall is a behavior that gets the ball rolling on seeing who will stand at the top of the dominance ladder come spring. Anyone been seeing or hearing toms gobble? Pic by @tommartineauimages #wildturkey #wildturkeys #fall #gobblegobble #gobble

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When Zach shot this turkey in Idaho this past spring, he reached out to us at wildturkeyDNA to help him figure out the origin of the white plumage in his bird.
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As with samples from other solid white turkeys we’ve tested, we wanted to know whether Zach’s turkey was a true wild turkey, barnyard bird, a hybrid, or something else.
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It turns out, genetic testing revealed that this bird is 100% wild turkey, and more specifically, is 100% Merriam’s wild turkey.
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You can see clearly in the second image, Zach’s bird clusters directly within other samples we’ve tested from Merriam’s wild turkeys. This wild turkey is leucistic, which is caused by a genetic mutation that results in a loss of pigmentation in feathers. Because the mutation only affects melanin deposition in feathers, the other parts of the bird’s body appear normal.
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Thus far, through wildturkeyDNA we’ve confirmed leucistic wild turkeys across multiple subspecies, and we’re continuing to dig into what the presence of leucistic birds means at a population scale.
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We congratulate Zach on harvesting such a unique wild turkey and stay tuned for more results from wildturkeyDNA as we explore the origin of plumage color variations and other aspects of population genetics in these magnificent birds.
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#science #conservation #research #wildturkeyhunting

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This week wildturkeyDNA heads to Idaho, and an area with stunning views, to identify the origin of the solid white plumage in Zach’s turkey. We will reveal results tomorrow but drop your comments below as to what you think about the origin of the odd plumage in this bird. Is it a wild turkey, a Heritage turkey, or something else?
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#science #research #conservation

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This Turkey Tuesday is about the feathers on a wild turkey’s head. Although toms have little feathering on their head and neck, hens have pronounced feathers in these areas that have important functions. Wild turkeys, like many birds, have bristle and specialized filoplume feathers that provide protection, sensory functions, communication, and camouflage. These feathers around the eyes help block debris, and coupled with multiple eyelids, keep the eyes clear – and vision is critical to a hen’s survival. Filoplumes also act as sensors of sort, helping the bird detect movement, changes in air flow, and vibrations – corpuscles at the base of the feathers basically allow the bird to “feel” changes in the environment around the head. It’s also believed that wild turkeys recognize each other at least partially from the appearance of their head, so differences in feather patterns serve as a form of communication and individual recognition. Lastly, feathering on the head of a hen helps her blend into the environment which is particularly important when she’s incubating. The take home is the feathers on a hen’s head serve important functions that influence many aspects of her life. Pic by Dale Kauzlaric #wildturkey #wildturkeys #feather #turkey #feathers

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🦃 Comment une espèce disparue peut-elle redevenir chassable ?

Le dindon sauvage en Amérique du Nord en est un exemple concret.

Au début du XXᵉ siècle, les populations de dindons sauvages avaient fortement diminué aux États-Unis et au Canada, notamment à cause de la chasse non réglementée et de la disparition de leurs habitats.

Des programmes de conservation ont alors été mis en place : protection, restauration des habitats, suivi scientifique et surtout réintroduction de dindons sauvages dans les territoires où ils avaient disparu.

En Ontario, le dindon sauvage avait même complètement disparu en 1909. À partir des années 1980, plusieurs milliers d’oiseaux ont été déplacés afin de restaurer les populations.

Aujourd’hui, le dindon sauvage est de nouveau suffisamment présent dans plusieurs régions pour faire l’objet d’une chasse réglementée.

🎯 Cela illustre un principe important :

la conservation ne signifie pas nécessairement l’interdiction permanente de tout prélèvement.

Lorsqu’une population est suffisamment abondante, la chasse peut être intégrée à sa gestion, avec des périodes, des quotas et des règles définis à partir du suivi des populations.

Les chasseurs participent également au système de conservation par les droits de chasse, les taxes et les données de prélèvement, qui contribuent au financement et au suivi de la faune.

L’objectif n’est donc pas simplement de prélever.

C’est de maintenir des populations sauvages, des habitats fonctionnels et un équilibre durable entre protection et utilisation de la ressource.

Le cas du dindon sauvage montre ainsi qu’une espèce peut passer de la disparition à une population suffisamment solide pour être durablement gérée.

🌲 Protéger. Restaurer. Gérer. Transmettre.

C’est aussi cela, la conservation

#wildturkey #dindonsauvage #chasse #hunting #huntingisconservation

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Diamonds heading out to Texas, South Carolina, California, Florida, Arkansas, and Michigan, it’s so cool to see our work go all over the USA! On to the next one!

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When Tristen harvested this unique looking turkey in Alabama during spring 2026, he reached out to us at wildturkeyDNA to see if we could help determine the origin of the interesting looking plumage on his bird. The primary feathers are entirely black, and the secondary feathers also lack barring but have varying tones of browns with reddish hues. The contour feathers on the back are also quite dark, and the feathers at the base of the tail are darker than you’d expect in an Eastern wild turkey. Lastly, the tail feathers have an interesting black subterminal band along with reddish tones that create a stunning appearance. Genetics testing through wildturkeyDNA revealed that Tristen’s bird was 100% wild turkey, and what a beautiful wild turkey it is! You can see in the 3rd image that this bird clusters directly within the hundreds of samples we’ve obtained from Eastern wild turkeys, and this bird’s plumage is the result of multiple genetic mutations that are causing overproduction of melanin, which contributes to the dark plumage. Congratulations to Tristan for harvesting such a beautiful and unique wild turkey, and stay tuned for more results from wildturkeyDNA as we explore the origin of plumage variations in these magnificent birds.

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This week, wildturkeyDNA stays put in Alabama to take a look at a truly unique turkey harvested by Tristan during spring 2026. We’ll post results tomorrow, but drop your thoughts in the comments as to the origin of the unique plumage on this bird. Is it a wild turkey, a Heritage turkey, or something else?

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