Please Help me Identify the Subspecies
Photo 2
I'll say it's a Merriams, but I could be wrong.
Merriams, or a Hybird. Without knowing where the bird was harvested, it would be just a guess.
Gman
Looks Merriams, but could be Rio hybrid. Use this to tel by where it was killed:
http://www.nwtf.org/for_hunters/all_about_turkeys.html
Don't know, I have killed Easters with the light tips also
Looks like a Merriam.
I agree that, from what can be seen in the pictures, it looks like a Merriams. The logical choices are Merriams, Rio, or hybrid of those,...unless you killed a Goulds in Mexico or southeastern Arizona. Tell us where you killed it and we might be able to narrow it down a bit for you.
I think its a Rio or Rio X Merriam Hybrid because a pure Merriam white tips are more straight
across the bottom not as rounded as the Rio as in this picture.
Rio
Its a jake, so it doesn't have his adult feathers in yet.
This jake was taken in Morgan Hill, CA (Santa Clara County). According to the NWTF map this is rio country but is sure doesn't look like a rio to me.
Look at the iridescence of the feathers, especially the iridescent band just below the tips of the feathers on the rump right below the fan. If that iridescence has a gold/copper/brass look about it when looked at in direct sunlight, then the bird is either a Rio or a Rio hybrid. Pure Merriams do not have any of that goldish iridescence.
Looks like a Rio, or a hybrid to me. Where was it killed?
This jake was taken in Morgan Hill, CA (Santa Clara County)
Rio, based on where it was harvested. I have harvested white to cream Rio's in both OK and TX.
Gman