Merriam Turkey

The Merriam’s wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) is found primarily in the ponderosa pine, western mountain regions of the United States.

Adult males are clearly distinguished by the nearly white feathers on the lower back and tail feather margins. Merriam’s closely resembles 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. They have 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. Hens are similar in color but have buff-tipped breast feathers. The white areas on her wings are more extensive giving a whiter appearance to the folded wing