Black
History & heritage
One living story. Knowledge kept together.
A male Norfolk Black turkey at Kew Gardens. · Jim Linwood · CC BY 2.0 · License terms
Follow the story behind the name.
Black turkeys developed in Europe from Mexican-derived domestic turkeys carried across the Atlantic by explorers. Later introductions returned selected birds to the Americas.
Mexican-derived domestic turkeys carried to Europe in the sixteenth century gave rise to black populations favored in Spain and Norfolk. Selected birds later returned to America. American recognition came in 1874.
Adult feathers are black with a green sheen; young poults may show temporary pale or bronze feathers before adult plumage develops. Pink adult shanks and dark eyes accompany the characteristic color. Calm disposition and early maturation were historically important utility selection goals.
The Conservancy's reference profile describes large eggs with pale cream to medium brown with spotting shells. These descriptions help compare the population's traditional farm role; actual performance also depends on age, breeding line and management.
Sources for general species learning
Sources behind the breed’s story.
The original history, identity and conservation teaching above draws on these cited accounts. Official links open the full material for further study.
Keep learning from official information.
These research portals help locate further material. A search link is a route for exploration; it is separate from the sources used for the article above. Domestic breed information, wild-species assessment, historical books and new research need their own context.
- FAO DAD-IS · Domestic breed information
- IUCN Red List · Species assessments
- Biodiversity Heritage Library · Historical literature search
- USDA National Agricultural Library · Research search
- Google Scholar · Scholarly literature search
- Open Library · Book catalogue search
- HathiTrust · Digitized catalogue search