I have seen three birds with color patterns like this in the past year in INdiana. From the way I understand it is not a cross between and domestic and a wild. Think about a pie-bald deer.

I have to disagree with Turkey Stalker i have done studies on these birds and have help trap and transfer some and i still believe that these kind of birds are a cross breed between demestic and wild.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, these "white" turkeys are not a cross between demostic turkeys.

Here is a link to the proof from Mississippi State University:

http://msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is0636.pdf

To summarize: "The smokey-gray phase occurs throughout Mississippi and is mistakenly thought to be a partial domestic turkey. Smokey-grey turkeys, usually hens, are whitish grayish on parts or most of their body. They are not part domestic, and they do successfully reproduce. Another color phase you sometimes see is the black (melanistic) phase. These turkeys have no other colors, just black. The true albino, with a total absense of any color, is rare."

And from the National Wild Turkey Federation

http://www.nwtf.org/new_turkey_look.html

Color Phases: A few wild turkeys grow unusually colored feathers. These are known as color phases. There are four color phases, a smokey gray color phase, a melanistic color phase (all black), an erythritic color phase (reddish coloration) and an albino color phase (very rare

I hope to take a better picture in the future. This weekend will be my last one deer hunting. I will try after that to get a better picture of this hen turkey.
Thanks for everyone's thought's.....I'm not into Turkey's, even though I've harvested a few.
Thanks again,
ENCOREMAN

I've been hunting them turkeys since they showed up in Northern Illinois in the 80's. It has been my understanding that white turkeys are tame or close to tame and need to be shot. I hunt near the Wisconsin border myself and there are so many turkeys now, they are trapping them and sending them to other states. The Ill. DNR has always been very helpful and will answer your question. I had to call them a few months ago when a local farmer told me that they were reintroducing cougars into Northern Illinois. Of course it turned out to be false. Good luck deer hunting this weekend! The weather is going to be great, instead of the usual north pole stuff we get this time of year.

Thanks for letting me use the pic! I think it is nice when people let other people use their pics.

MOUTHCALLER,

THE STORY I WAS TELLING WE MY UNCLE HAD SEVERAL DOMESTIC HENS IN A LOT WHICH A WILD GOBBLER INVADED LOL LOL HE STAYED IN THE PEN FOR ABOUT A WEEK IF HE BREAD THEN COULD THIS CAUSE THE COLOR DIFFERENCES....

Biglawe

I'm not a wildlife biologist, but I will tell you what Iunderstand from 20+ years of turkey hunting, speaking withturkey hunters more experienced than me,and what I have read from reliable sources (see linksin my previous postfrom Mississippi State University and the National Wild Turkey Federation website).

There are several "common" color phases of wild turkeys. These color phases are caused bythe expression ofa recessive chromosome in the DNA. The result is a perfectly wild turkey that is a different color (grayish-white, red, and black). These turkeys are in every way wild and capable of survival in the wild. I have seen several of them over the years though I haven't shot one (most of the white ones tend to be hens, though I have seen two "white" gobblers and almost got a shot on one strutting with a bunch of other wild turkeys in southern Mississippi). These grayish-whitish turkeys are not true albinos, which are totally devoid of pigment and are completely white.

In answer to your question, my impression is that the resultant offspring of a cross between wild and demosticturkeys lack the survival skills and instincts to survive in the wild. Domestic turkeys are typically fat, relatively immoble compared to the wild ones, andare notable to fly as well.

I will make an anology to coyotes. Coyotes in this area have been known to breed with domestic dogs, and the offspring is called a coydog. Wild coyotes cover vast distances daily in search of food,but the coydogs can't keep up with them and starve or run themselves to death trying.

I agree with Mouthcaller, Last year in Turkey and Turkey Hunting they had an article about the color phases. I tend to also think that a crossbred Turkey will not have the survival skills of a wild one. In the magazine article it states that the different color phases are not crossbred birds, The tom I killed last spiring has black and white wing feathers, the one I killed this fall had copper and white wing feathers.
I think if something breeds long enough there are going to be different strains, kind of like the new fad of silver labrador retrievers. I think to get this color phase two chocolates are bred, or might be two black labs.

I think in the latest turkey and turkey hunting magazine they have an article about this. I will try to find where I saw it for sure. But in the article they had a picture of a reddish brown turkey. They also said its a wild turkey and has nothing to do with a domestic turkey.