Merriam's Wild Turkey
The Merriam's
wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) is found primarily in
the ponderosa pine, western mountain regions of the United States. It
was named by Dr. E.W. Nelson in 1900 in honor of C. Hart Merriam, the
first chief of the U.S. Biological Survey.
Within its suspected historic range in Arizona, New Mexico and
Colorado, the Merriam's was relatively isolated from the other
subspecies of wild turkey. Current evidence supports the hypothesis that
it was a relative newcomer to western American wildlife when the
Europeans discovered it.
The Merriam's wild turkey has been successfully stocked beyond its
suspected natural range in the Rocky Mountains and outside of the
mountains into Nebraska, Washington, California Oregon and other areas.
Merriam's are found in some habitat areas that, if altered by timber
harvesting overgrazing or development, populations may be lost. Their
normal range receives annual rainfall amounts averaging between 15 and
23 inches.
Adult males are clearly distinguished from the eastern, Florida and
Rio Grande by the nearly white feathers on the lower back and tail
feather margins. Merriam's closely resemble the Gould's turkey, but its
tail margin is not usually quite as pure white nor is the lighter margin
of the tail tip quite as wide.
Its size is comparable to the eastern turkey, but has a blacker
appearance with blue, purple and bronze reflections. The Merriam's
appears to have a white rump due to its pinkish, buff or whitish tail
coverts and tips. These tail feather tips are very conspicuous when the
strutting gobbler appears against a dark background. The males exhibit
black-tipped breast feathers, while the females, or hens, have
buff-tipped breast feathers. The white areas on her wings are more
extensive giving a whiter appearance to the folded wing.
Gould's Wild Turkey
The fifth
recognized, but least known, wild turkey subspecies is the Gould's
(Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) found in portions of Arizona and New
Mexico, as well as northern Mexico. It was first described by J. Gould
in 1856 during his travels in Mexico.
Like the Merriam's, the Gould's is a bird of the mountains. It exists
in very small numbers along the U.S./Mexico borders in Arizona and New
Mexico, but is abundant in the northwestern portions of Mexico. The
Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Forest Service, the Centro
Ecologico de Sonora, the National Wild Turkey Federation and other
agencies are working cooperatively to reintroduce a strong Gould's
population into Arizona and eventually other states where suitable range
exists.
The Gould's turkey is the largest of the 5 subspecies and resembles
the Merriam's turkey. They have longer legs, larger feet and larger
center tail feathers than any of the other wild turkey subspecies in
North America. Gould's differ by having distinctive white tips on the
tail feathers and tail rump coverts which usually separate to show an
"eyelash" appearance. Lower back and rump feathers have copper and
greenish-golden reflections, not like the faintly iridescent velvety
black found on the Merriam's. Gould's body plumage is said to be
somewhat blue-green in coloration. Adult females have a less pronounced
metallic greenish and reddish sheen and are more purplish.
The Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains in Mexico are the center of the
Gould's turkey Mexican range, extending south from the U.S./Mexico
border. Populations exist in Chihuahua, Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango,
Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco and Coahuila. In the United States, Gould's
turkeys are found in the Animas and San Luis mountains of New Mexico and
in the Peloncillo Mountains of New Mexico and Arizona.
Please click here to view some of the
Trophy Gobblers (Merriam's, Rios, and Gould's) that our clients have harvested.
The professional team within Howell Wildlife
Outfitters is Qualified and ready to assist you with your Turkey Quest.
We THANK YOU for your time and look forward to
assisting you with your Turkey Hunts. in either Arizona, New Mexico and
Old Mexico.
