White Wild Turkey | Cades Cove | Great Smoky Mountains National Park

White Wild Turkey Hen

I photographed this White wild turkey hen in the Cades Cove valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was with a flock of about 20 turkeys feeding in the meadows late in the evening. This flock had about 15 or 16 hens, and about  4 male tom turkeys. Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green legs and a black body. Males, called toms or gobblers, have a large, featherless, reddish head, red throat, and red wattles on the throat and neck. The male is substantially larger than the female, and his feathers have areas of red, purple, green, copper, bronze, and gold iridescence. Females, called hens, have feathers that are duller overall, in shades of brown and gray. I have never seen or even heard of a White wild turkey, and this hen does not meet any of those “normal” color  traits. I have included several images of both her alone and with other hens and also one image of a male tom turkey. As always I welcome all your comments and thank you for your interest in my work. It is very much appreciated!

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