The turkeys seen in the wild are typically dark, iridescent birds, while those found in grocery stores are almost universally white. This difference results from a specific genetic mutation harnessed through a deliberate, decades-long selection process driven by commercial food production. The white color, a natural genetic possibility, was maximized by breeders for practical and economic reasons.
The Natural Plumage of Wild Turkeys
Wild turkeys, such as the North American Eastern Wild Turkey, have a baseline coloration that is overwhelmingly dark. Their feathers feature a striking bronze, copper, and green iridescence that changes with the light, resulting from structural colors and melanin pigments. This dark coloration provides effective camouflage against the forest floor and undergrowth, which is an important survival trait against predators.
The females generally have a more subtle, muted brown or gray feathering compared to the more iridescent males, helping them hide while nesting. While wild turkeys are predominantly dark, genetic mutations leading to non-pigmented feathers do occur in nature. Rare color variations, often called “color phases,” include melanistic, erythristic, smoke gray, and occasional all-white individuals. These variations are uncommon because they make the birds more visible to predators, reducing their chances of survival and reproduction.
The Genetics Behind White Turkeys
The white coloration of commercial turkeys is not due to albinism, which involves a complete lack of pigment production and is often accompanied by red or pink eyes. Instead, the white color is caused by a specific genetic trait that acts as a mask over the bird’s potential base color.
The white color found in the Broad Breasted White, the dominant commercial breed, is caused by a dominant white gene. This gene prevents the deposition of melanin pigments in the feathers, masking whatever other color genes the bird carries. A turkey with this dominant gene will appear white, even if it genetically possesses the code for wild bronze or black feathering.
Breeders identified and selected this dominant white trait because it provided predictable and easily maintained white plumage across generations. Selective breeding allowed this trait to be fixed within the commercial population, ensuring nearly all offspring exhibit the desired white feathers. This genetic mechanism is a form of epistasis, where one gene’s effect masks the expression of another.
Commercial Selection and the Preference for White
The ubiquity of the white turkey in the food supply is primarily an economic and aesthetic choice driven by consumer preference and processing efficiency. The main reason for selecting white-feathered birds relates directly to the appearance of the finished product after processing.
When a turkey is plucked, tiny feather shafts called pin feathers often remain embedded in the skin. In naturally dark-feathered turkeys, these residual pin feathers are black or dark brown, creating visible specks on the carcass. In a white turkey, the pin feathers are white or very light-colored, making them virtually invisible. This visually cleaner appearance of the dressed white turkey is far more marketable and appealing to shoppers.
The specific breed developed for this trait is the Broad Breasted White, cross-bred from the White Holland and the Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys. This breed was selectively bred for rapid growth, large breast muscle, and white plumage. The combination of high meat yield, excellent feed-conversion rates, and desirable white plumage cemented the Broad Breasted White’s dominance in industrial turkey production starting in the mid-20th century.