Eastern wild turkeys generally have darker, chestnut-brown tail tips. Rio Grande turkeys, by comparison, typically have lighter tan or buff-colored tail tips.
That distinction can be much more useful than simply looking at the overall color of the bird.
This is especially important because wild turkey plumage is highly reflective. Depending on the angle of the sun, a bird can appear brown, black, bronze, copper, green or even purple.
Photographs can make the problem even harder.
A camera may exaggerate shadows or highlights. A bird photographed early in the morning may look considerably darker than the same bird photographed in full afternoon sunlight.Source Livestock Feed
That is why a clear picture of the spread tail is often much more useful for identification than a blurry photograph showing only the bird’s body.
The Rio Grande Turkey
If the hunt took place farther west in the South—particularly in Texas—the bird could potentially be a Rio Grande wild turkey.
Rio Grande turkeys are associated with central and western portions of Texas and extend into several other states. The National Wild Turkey Federation notes that Rio Grande turkeys have tan-colored tail-feather tips and black-and-white wing barring.
Texas is especially interesting because more than one turkey subspecies occurs there.Explore Hunting Gear
Texas A&M AgriLife notes that Eastern turkeys occupy portions of eastern Texas, while Rio Grande turkeys occur across much of central and southern Texas. Merriam’s turkeys are also present in limited mountainous areas of western Texas.
That means simply saying “I saw this turkey in Texas” may not be enough to identify it.
Location narrows the possibilities, but feather characteristics can help finish the job.
In areas where ranges overlap, identification can become even more complicated because individual birds may show characteristics that are not perfectly represented by textbook descriptions.Download Nature Guides
The Florida Wild Turkey
Then there is Florida.
If someone says they were hunting “down South” and the encounter happened in the Florida peninsula, the bird could be an Osceola turkey.
Osceola turkeys are restricted to Florida and are known for their darker overall appearance. Their wings tend to have less obvious white barring than those of Eastern turkeys, and their plumage can appear extremely dark and iridescent.
For turkey hunters, an Osceola is a special bird.
Its Florida-only distribution has made it one of the subspecies sought by hunters attempting to complete the famous turkey “Grand Slam,” which involves harvesting the recognized North American subspecies.Source Livestock Feed
