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Wild Turkey Lab

@wildturkeylab

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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 by @wildturkeylab

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9 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 @wildturkeylab

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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 @wildturkeylab

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18 days ago

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 @wildturkeylab

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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 @wildturkeylab

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23 days ago

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. by @wildturkeylab

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a month ago

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? by @wildturkeylab

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a month ago

When Kelsee harvested this turkey in spring 2026, she contacted us at wildturkeyDNA to see if we could help identify the origin of the odd plumage in her bird. And this turkey certainly looks different than a typical Eastern wild turkey, the subspecies found in Mississippi! The primary and secondary feathers on the wings are solid white whereas the contour feathers on the body are largely reddish. The contour feathers also lack any black or iridescence, and the tail is dominated by reddish hues and pale white tones. Genetic testing through wildturkeyDNA revealed that this turkey was 100% Heritage turkey, most likely a variety called Bourbon Red. As you can see in the 3rd image, this turkey clusters directly within samples we’ve obtained from known Heritage turkeys, which are the samples in the upper left. As we’ve shown with results from other turkeys sampled as part of wildturkeyDNA, Heritage turkeys are breeding with wild turkeys, but Kelsee’s turkey was released or escaped and had become feral. He was living in the wild but wasn’t a wild turkey. We congratulate Kelsee for harvesting this bird 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 @wildturkeylab

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a month ago

This week wildturkeyDNA once again makes a stop in Mississippi to figure out the origin of the unique plumage in Kelsee’s turkey she harvested 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? by @wildturkeylab

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a month ago

When Russ shot this beautiful looking turkey in spring 2024, wildturkeyDNA had not been launched. But with tissue stored in the freezer, we were able to help Russ understand the origin of the unique plumage on his bird. We were particularly interested to test this turkey, because during restoration that involved trap and transport of wild turkeys across North America, multiple subspecies were released in Washington. This turkey has several primaries that are mostly black, whereas other primaries have segments of the feather that lack barring. Some of the primary coverts are also solid black, and the tail feathers have very pale cream tips, as do the tail coverts. Genetic testing throughout wildturkeyDNA revealed that Russ’ bird is 100% Merriam’s wild turkey, which you can see in the third image where this bird clusters directly with other Merriam’s wild turkeys we’ve sampled. The absence of barring on wing feathers and solid black feathers is the result of genetic mutations that affect melanin production. Congrats to Russ for harvesting such a beautiful wild turkey and stay tuned for more results of wildturkeyDNA as we explore the origin of plumage color variations in these magnificent birds.
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#science #conservation #wildturkeyhunting by @wildturkeylab

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2 months ago

This week wildturkeyDNA heads to the Pacific Northwest to make a stop in Washington to check out a beautiful turkey harvested by Russ. 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 #conservation #turkeyhunting by @wildturkeylab

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2 months ago

Check out this interesting looking turkey shot in Nebraska during spring 2025.

Ongoing genetics work in Nebraska shows that hybrid wild turkeys are common, but this bird Douglas shot has more complexity in his history as we have recently discovered.

The primaries are solid black with a white rachis (shaft), whereas the secondaries have light and dark tones, and the secondary coverts are rust colored. The tail feathers have the black subterminal band you’d expect but are lightly colored with reddish hues. Lastly, the feathers on the lower legs and belly are solid white!

Genetic testing through wildturkeyDNA revealed that this unique bird is 100% wild turkey. As we continue to study the genetic pathways that lead to such unique wild turkeys, it is clear that Douglas’ bird has multiple genetic mutations that have resulted in aberrant plumage.

The third image shows that Douglas’ bird clusters genetically directly within wild birds of Merriam’s descent, rather than around birds with known links to domestic or Heritage turkeys.

As we continue to see through the wildturkeyDNA project, genetics that control plumage variations in wild turkey are complex and quite interesting.

Congrats to Douglas for harvesting such a beautiful wild turkey and stay tuned for more results of wildturkeyDNA as we explore the origin of plumage color variations in these magnificent birds.

#wildturkeys #wildturkeydna #TurkeyHunting #conservation by @wildturkeylab

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2 months ago