Slayer’s Definitive Guide to Wild Turkey Identification: Turkeys Times Four
By M.D. Johnson
True; a wild turkey is a wild turkey is a wild turkey, and the tactics used to tag a bird in Florida can be the same as those used by a hunter across the country in Washington state.
That said, turkey fanatics in the U.S. are truly blessed, having not one or two or three, but four* main subspecies of this Grand Ole Bird to enjoy.
How do you tell them apart? This week, Slayer Calls posts the definitive guide to the nation’s biggest game bird: the wild turkey.
The Eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris)
For many turkey hunters, their introduction into the sport comes courtesy of the Eastern. Why? Of the nation’s current population of more than five million wild turkeys, three million are Easterns. So numbers play a part here.
So, too, does the Eastern’s widespread distribution — a range that roughly encompasses the whole of the United States, east of a line drawn from North Dakota to Houston, Texas. Minus, that is, central and south Florida and extreme southern Louisiana.
I say “roughly” here because the Eastern can also be found, alive and well, in such non-traditional places as western Washington, northwest Oregon and western Idaho.
One of the largest of the wild turkey subspecies, it’s not unusual to hear of an Eastern gobbler weighing between 25 and 30 pounds; however, 18- to 22-pounders are much more common.
The Eastern, whose scientific name, silvestris, translates to “forest turkey,” is set apart visually from the other subspecies by a chocolate brown or darker buff coloration on both the rump feathers, as well as on the tips of the tailfeathers. The wingfeathers will show equal amounts of black and white barring, and the bird will appear proportionate in size (leg length to body mass) overall.
The Rio Grande wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia)
The Rio Grande, or Rio, takes its Latin name, intermedia, from the fact that the bird appears to fall somewhere between the Eastern and the Merriams in terms of looks.
Second only to the Eastern in terms of population, with a current flock numbering some 700,000 birds, the Rio, like the Merriams, is a bird of the wide open country. Texas, home to some 600,000 Rio Grande turkeys, is the nation’s best bet for those seeking an audience with this remarkable Western big game bird. Other states with excellent Rio populations include Kansas and Oklahoma; however, increasing numbers can also be found in eastern Washington, central Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California and, of all places, Hawaii.
Similar in size to the Eastern, the Rio differs in two ways. First are the bird’s disproportionately long legs. Second, where the Eastern’s tail tips and rump feathers will be a dark brown, the Rio will show a lighter buff or tan color. Almost a caramel or butterscotch hue. It’s a noticeable difference in most cases; however, in those instances where Easterns and Rio Grandes have the ability to intermingle (the state of Kansas, for instance) the resulting hybrids can be difficult — if not impossible — to tell apart.
The Merriam’s wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami)
A true inhabitant of the West, the Merriam’s subspecies was named in honor of C. Hart Merriam, the first chief of the U.S. Biological Survey. This subspecies is a bird of the mountains, moving up and down in elevation and following the snowline in both spring and fall. Like the Rio, the Merriam’s is a long-distance, nomadic wanderer.
The Merriam’s is an extremely handsome bird, what with his snow-white rump feathers and tail tips. He’s eager to gobble — not only frequently, but at all hours of the day. And finally, Merriam’s gobblers often demonstrate their willingness to come long distances to a call or decoy set-up. Today, some 200,000 Merriam’s inhabit not only their original range, but have been successfully transferred to other states including South Dakota, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
The Osceola wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo Osceola)
You want an Osceola? You have three choices: Florida, Florida and Florida. If it’s a pure-strain Osceola gobbler that you’re wanting, then be thinking plane tickets to the central or southern portions of the Sunshine State. That is, unless you’re fortunate enough to already be a resident.
The least numerous of the four North American subspecies, with a current population of around 80,000 birds, the Osceola is also the smallest in size and weight. Gobblers of the subspecies will typically weigh less than 20 pounds; hens, between eight and 10 pounds.
Named after the great Seminole chief, the Osceola, like the Rio, is a long-legged thing. Though similar in appearance to the Eastern, the Osceola, also known as the Florida turkey, is blacker overall, even down to the birds’ wingfeathers, which show only a fraction of the contrasting white markings commonly found in the other subspecies. Rump feathers and tail tips are often Eastern-like, though the tail tips may be much more narrow than on the Eastern. Another characteristic of the Osceola gobbler is its long, sharp spurs — hooks which can reach lengths of up to two inches.
*There is, actually, a fifth wild turkey subspecies, though the opportunity to hunt it is very limited (draw only). It’s called the Gould’s wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana), and its small U.S. population exists only in southern Arizona and New Mexico. Most hunters seeking the “Royal Slam” of all five subspecies go to Mexico for the Gould’s, while the majority of U.S. hunters remain unfamiliar with the subspecies, given the lack of encounters with it. Appearance-wise, the Gould’s wild turkey is the largest subspecies of turkey, with longer legs, larger feet, and larger central tail feathers.
