Types of Turkeys
- Rio Grande Wild Turkey. Photo Credit: AgriLife Extension. Rio Grande wild turkeys are found in the desert areas of western states.
- Merriam’s Wild Turkey. Photo Credit: Nebraskaland Magazine.
- Gould’s Wild Turkey. Photo Credit: Arizona Hunting.
- Ocellated Wild Turkey. Photo Credit: Animal Spot.
What are the different types of turkey?
Wild turkeyLower classifications
What are the four types of turkeys in the US?
America’s 5 Wild Turkey Subspecies
- Eastern Turkey Subspecies. Eastern turkeys are the most populous in the country with a flock size of about 5.3 million.
- Merriam’s Turkey Subspecies.
- Rio Grande Turkey Subspecies.
- Gould’s Turkey Subspecies.
- Osceola Turkey Subpecies.
How many types of turkey do we have?
eight varieties
In its Standard of Perfection, the American Poultry Association (APA) recognizes eight varieties of turkeys, all considered heritage varieties. They are the Standard Bronze, Beltsville Small White, White Holland, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Slate, Black, and Royal Palm.
What type of turkey is a wild turkey?
The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey, and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes.
What is the best turkey to eat?
In an Epicurious taste-test of six supermarket turkeys, a fresh Bell & Evans turkey was their top choice, due to its tender meat, authentic turkey flavor and attractive outer skin. (The birds are also bred to grow at a slower pace, causing them to have broad, juicy breasts.)
Which type of turkey is best?
Which Turkey to Buy
- DO: Look for a Natural or Organic frozen turkey, ideally one that was “pastured”—allowed to roam outside.
- DON’T: Buy a “basted,” “self-basted” or “injected” turkey because those birds are usually factory-farmed and injected with additives to make them bigger.
What is the hardest turkey to hunt?
1. Easterns: Hunter pressure in tight habitats make this subspecies the most difficult in the country. More turkey hunters roam Eastern states than any of the others. An Alabama Eastern three-year-old longbeard might be the most difficult turkey of all.
What turkey is the biggest?
The Gould’s turkey is a bird of the mountainous areas of this region. It is the largest of the five 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.
What’s the difference between an Osceola and eastern Turkey?
The difference between an Osceola turkey and an eastern turkey is that Osceolas are much darker, have longer legs and usually weigh much less than a mature eastern gobbler. What distinguishes the Osceola gobbler from all the other tom turkeys is the white bands in their wings.
What are the most common turkeys?
1. Broad Breasted White. When it comes to domestic turkeys in America, the Broad Breasted White is the most common.
What breed of turkey do we eat?
Turkey breeds
The Broad Breasted White is the commercial turkey of choice for large scale industrial turkey farms, and consequently is the most consumed variety of the bird. Usually the turkey to receive a “presidential pardon”, a U.S. custom, is a Broad Breasted White.
What is a white turkey called?
By the 1800s, a white variety – now called the White Holland in the show ring – was known in the United States. It was recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1874. The name White Holland implied Dutch origins for the variety but it’s an American breed developed from white sports of the Bronze turkey variety.
What are the 6 types of turkey?
Each subspecies has their own set of characteristics when it comes to physical appearance and aggressiveness of calling. The six types of wild turkeys are: Eastern wild turkey, Osceola wild turkey, Gould’s wild turkey, Merriam’s wild turkey, Rio Grande wild turkey, and the Ocellated wild turkey.
What is the difference between a wild turkey and a domestic turkey?
Wild Turkeys have the deep, rich brown and black feathers that most people associate with turkeys. In completely opposite fashion, domestic turkeys are normally white in color, an intentional product of domestication because white pin feathers are less noticeable on the carcass.
Can you eat wild turkey?
Just about every part of a wild turkey is edible. While the legs and thighs of a wild turkey aren’t as tender as the breast meat, they are even more flavorful. Use them in soups, stews, slow-cooked turkey barbecue, and, my favorite, turkey and dumplings.
Is a Butterball turkey better than others?
Butterball turkeys are of the highest quality product and will be sure to impress your guests. Here’s why Butterball is the right choice, especially for the holiday season: Butterball turkeys are always tender and juicy because we take the extra step of individually pre-brining them based on size.
What is the healthiest turkey to buy?
If you are choosing your Thanksgiving turkey based on what would be the healthiest option, I would choose a heritage turkey or a pastured turkey. However, if you are primarily concerned with taste, then the heritage turkey will probably be your best bet.
What’s the difference with a Butterball turkey?
With more than half of holiday cooks stuffing their turkey, Butterball turkeys have a natural leg tuck using the skin to hold the legs in place and make it easier to stuff. There are no plastic or metal locks in a Butterball turkey ensuring you won’t have to worry about a hot metal clip when you remove your stuffing.
What are the different grades of turkey?
Common grades for poultry are A, B, and C, with A being the designation for the best quality. Describes the bird as being whole, cut into sections (halves, quarters, etc.), or cut into individual parts (breast, leg, thigh, etc.). Turkeys are specified by individual weight.
Which turkey is better Jennie O or Butterball?
In general, Butterball wins in more categories than Jennie-O does. Since the two are comparable in terms of quality, we would give Butterball the edge.