Wild Turkey

I went for a walk today at work (in a suburban area surrounded by secondary growth woodland) and there was a very proud wild tom turkey loudly advertising his availability for the fertilization of eggs. (At least, that's what I assume he was doing.)

He sounded to be about 30 yards off into the trees, and though I scanned the underbrush, I couldn't see him at all.

What a stunning looking bird.

Far better looking than his white farmed relatives.

Gorgeous! No wonder Ben Franklin wanted them for our national bird (instead of the bald eagle).

i am always amazed at how cryptic these birds can be, despite their large size and stunning coloration. i was disappointed when in kansas since all my pictures of them ended up being pictures of brush heaps with random dark blobs behind the brush.

after growing up in a farming community, i am convinced that farmers selectively bred small domestic animals to be white (and stupid) because they couldn't otherwise see them to farm them effectively. as an added bonus, white animals are easier to see in those huge, barely-lit barns that are used for modern factory-farming, too.

I am wondering what subspecies this tom turkey is. The whitish tips to the tail would seem to rule out the eastern subspecies, which has more brownish-tan tips.

It is the Rio Grande subspecies (Meleagris gallapavo intermedia). A fairly accurate map of the ranges of the various subspecies can be found here.