Wild Turkey Feathers

Map displaying the counties where feathers have been collected from (Updated August 2022)

The idea for this project came from a discussion with one of my committee members, Dr. Leonard Brennan at Texas A&M Kingsville. The Rio Grande Wild Turkey's (RGWT) historic range was limited to eastern Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas (green on the map below).

From Schorger 1966

After nearly becoming extinct in the early 1900s wild turkeys have made an incredible comeback. Human introductions have dramatically expanded the RGWT's range, and they are now found throughout the western United States and Hawaii (red on the map below). However, no one has investigated the long-term genetic effects of these introductions and translocations across the entirety of the RGWT's range. Also indicated on the map below in green are the many hybrid zones between subspecies throughout the western Unites States.

From Eriksen et al. 2014

Currently, wild turkey subspecies are defined by different physical characteristics. As seen in the photos below, hybridization can result in altered physical appearance (behavior can also be altered by hybridization). When hybrid individuals breed, these alterations can then be added back into the two parent-subspecies' gene pools, which can then alter the parent subspecies traits. The second portion of this project will discover how widespread hybridization is between subspecies is across the western United States.

White-collared Manakin (left) and Hybrid white x golden collared (right)

Photo Credit Kyle Elliot

Golden-collared Manakin

Photo Credit Nick Athanas

This research is featured in the following media: