Turkey Species

[r00s7a]

I just found a picture of my first turkeys to call in that me and a buddy killed. These were taken around Madill/Kingston area where there are hybrid turkeys. Both turkeys were running together and came in side by side. The one on the right was bigger and a little more dominant, he did most of the strutting, but they were both jakes with about 3 inch bears and tiny spurs.

So why the different colors? Different species? Cross between two different species? I have never known and hadn't been able to find the picture until now. Thoughts?

[Broken External Image]

 

[bigcountryok]

The one on the left looks like a hybrid. That one on the right looks alot like a Merriam, but that's way too far to the southeast.

 

[imhntn]

The one on the left may be a hybrid but is colored more like an Eastern. The one on the right is a Rio Grande

 

[Oklahomabassin]

The one on the left may be a hybrid but is colored more like an Eastern. The one on the right is a Rio Grande

I concur. I think that means agree.

 

[r00s7a]

That was my thoughts, the right being a Rio, but wasn't sure on the one on the left. Easterns are supposed to be slightly larger than Rio's but the one on the right was considerably larger, so a bit confused on what it was.

 

[bigcountryok]

What gets me about the one on the right is the light coloring on the tips. I thought Rios were more of a copper color.

 

[okie98]

Two kinds of turkey, light or dark.

 

[dennishoddy]

Definitly a rio on the right, but the one on the left is confusing, but then again I'm not around easterns.

 

[imhntn]

I have killed one or two Easterns over the years around Stillwater and have hunted them in Missouri. They have brown tips on their fans and have brown shading on the tail. They look a lot darker in the distance than Rios. A lot of the Rios we get around here have a lot of red dirt on their tails but if you get a clean one, they are always white tipped. The Eastern in the pic just looks like a younger bird to me.

 

[oneshotonekill]

The only bird I have killed was an eastern and sitting here looking at his fan I don't think either of those birds are easterns. Must be a hybrid and the obvious rio