Smoke-grey phased turkey


huntn4bucks

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Re: Smoke-grey phased turkey

Man that bird just knocks my socks off.... I had to go and readup on this color phase deal.... I wasn't even aware wild turkeys did this....

This is what I found I hope it explains it well enough..

Color phases in turkeys are the result of recessive genes that are rarely expressed, or genetic mutations. There are three color phases seen in wild turkeys: melanistic (black), erythritic (red), and albinotic (white). The smoke gray mutant, an incomplete albino, is the most common color phase observed. The condition is pretty rare in gobblers, as over 95% of the smoke gray phase turkeys observed are hens. I cannot confirm or deny that the red color phase is more dominant in southern MS. If so, it probably just means that the recessive gene that causes red coloration is more common in that part of the state. For additional information about color phases and other turkey "oddities" check out the following site: http://mdwfp.com/wildlifeissues/critternav/wildlife.asp?article=6&submit=Go&subject=Turkey.

Copy and pasted from the ... Missisippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Web Site.

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