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Mike Chamberlain

@wildturkeydoc

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Wild turkey researcher, hunter

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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 by @wildturkeydoc

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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 by @wildturkeydoc

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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 by @wildturkeydoc

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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 by @wildturkeydoc

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8 days ago

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 by @wildturkeydoc

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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 by @wildturkeydoc

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When Tyler shot this cool looking turkey in Tennessee during spring 2026, he contacted us to see if we could help determine the origin of the odd plumage sported by his bird. The tail and rump feathers appear mostly normal for the Eastern subspecies of wild turkey, which is what inhabits Tennessee. However, the primary and secondary feathers on the wings have more pronounced white barring than expected, and the contour feathers on the body are in my instances themselves solid white. Likewise, the feathering on the legs is mostly white, and even some of the darker contour feathers on the body are tipped in white. Well, genetic testing through wildturkeyDNA revealed that this unique bird is 100% wild turkey. As you can see in the 2nd image, Tyler’s turkey clusters entirely within other samples known to be from wild turkeys of the Eastern subspecies. This wild turkey shows signs of partial leucism, where some feathers on the body are normal, but others appear white or partially white. Partial leucism results from genetic mutations that cause disruptions in melanin production. Congrats to Tyler for harvesting a beautiful and unique wild turkey and stay tuned for more results from wildturkeyDNA as we explore the origin of plumage color variations in these magnificent birds.
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#science #conservation #research #turkeyhunting by @wildturkeydoc

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15 days ago

This week wildturkeyDNA heads back east to make a stop in Tennessee and check out a super interesting looking turkey shot by Tyler during spring 2026. We’ll reveal results tomorrow but drop your thoughts in the comments as to the origin of this bird’s plumage. Is it a wild turkey, a Heritage turkey, or something else?
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#science #wildturkeyhunting #research #conservation by @wildturkeydoc

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16 days ago

This Turkey Tuesday is about the groups of jakes we start seeing during fall. Although many of us have deer hunting on the brain right now, in the wild turkey world jakes are forming groups - “young bucks” if you will - pun intended! Unlike hens who form flocks containing both adult and juvenile birds, male wild turkeys take a different approach. Toms flock together, whereas jakes form their own flocks and remain together until early spring. Over the coming weeks, birds within these groups will often scuffle with each other to assert dominance – reason being, although some of these jakes are brothers or half-brothers and have already sorted out dominance, other birds in the group are not related to anyone. So, for those birds, fall can be a rough stretch where they’re constantly scrapping with other group members. And, research has shown that being in a larger group of jakes is better than being in a smaller one because larger groups outcompete smaller groups for resources and space. Likewise, in a larger group an individual benefits from having more sets of eyes around him to detect danger, regardless of his social status within the group. Therefore, it benefits all members of the group to remain together and even form larger flocks, even if doing so requires some fist-to-cuffs from time to time. The take home is being a member of a jake group offers each individual safety and stability as fall progresses. Pic by @darcydphotography #wildturkey #wildturkeys #fall #flock #turkey by @wildturkeydoc

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Collin had been seeing this unique looking turkey on his hunting grounds in Utah, so when he harvested the bird in fall 2025, he reached out to us at wildturkeyDNA to see if we could help him understand the origin of the bird’s odd plumage. Both Rio Grande and Merriam’s wild turkeys were translocated to Utah decades ago, but Collin’s turkey certainly does not look like either of those! The primary feathers are mostly black with a white rachis (shaft), whereas the secondaries are pale white with muted black tones. The contour feathers lack iridescence and have tan hues along with white and black, but the tail is mostly white with a black subterminal band. Genetic testing through wildturkeyDNA revealed that this turkey was 100% Heritage turkey. As you can see in the 2nd image, Collin’s turkey clusters within samples we’ve obtained from other Heritage turkeys. The most likely scenario was that Collin’s turkey escaped from a farm or was released and had become a feral turkey living amongst wild turkeys. We congratulate Collin for harvesting this turkey, which will help keep our local turkey flocks wild. Stay tuned for more results from wildturkeyDNA as we explore the origin of plumage color variations in these magnificent birds. by @wildturkeydoc

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22 days ago

Like many big game hunters, wildturkeyDNA heads west this week to see if we can figure out the origin of the unique plumage in Collin’s turkey he harvested in Utah during fall 2025. We’ll reveal results tomorrow, but drop your thoughts in the comments as to the origin of this bird’s plumage. Is it a wild turkey, a Heritage turkey, or something else? by @wildturkeydoc

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23 days ago

This Turkey Tuesday is about putting summer in the rearview mirror! Today is the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere so summer is behind us and fall lies ahead. In the wild turkey world, the onset of fall marks a time of significant change. One, larger flocks of birds of the same sex are forming which puts individual birds around birds they’re unfamiliar with – that means scuffles and fights will break out over the coming months. Two, poults hatched this past spring and summer are now juveniles - the jakes are forming flocks with other jakes, whereas juvenile hens will mix with adult hens in large hen flocks. Three, home ranges are going to start shifting to include areas individual birds may not have used at all during summer, and those ranges are going to slowly expand in size as fall progresses. Four, diet will start changing as building fat reserves starts to become priority – in my neck of the woods, acorns are starting to fall and turkeys are taking advantage of those acorns. As fall progresses, the availability of acorns will greatly influence how flocks move about the landscape and how much time they spend in certain areas. The take home is the end of summer and beginning of fall is a time of big changes in the wild turkey world. Pic by Monte Loomis #wildturkey #wildturkeys #turkey #fall #summer by @wildturkeydoc

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