Turkey breeds are reported to the DAD-IS breed database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations by more than sixty countries. The breeds reported include commercial/industrial strains, local types and recognised breeds in many countries.
Twenty breeds are reported to DAD-IS by the United States. Eight of them are recognised by the American Poultry Association in its breed standard, the American Standard of Perfection, where however they are classified as "varieties" rather than as breeds. This may be because the original genotype for domestic turkeys was for Bronze, and all other color varieties are due to mutations from it.
| Variety | Year admitted by APA[1] | Type | Comments | images | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beltsville Small White | 1951 | Created by the USDA at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland. Once very popular, it is now rare.[2] | |||
| Black turkey | 1874 | heritage turkey | Alternatively called Spanish Black or Norfolk Black or American Black. | ||
| Bourbon Red | 1909 | heritage turkey | |||
| Bronze | 1874 | heritage turkey | The Broad Breasted Bronze, like the Broad Breasted White, are nonstandardized commercial strains that do not qualify as a variety. | ||
| Narragansett | 1874 | heritage turkey | |||
| Royal Palm | 1977 | heritage turkey | Largely ornamental, mostly white with distinctive black banding. | ||
| Slate | 1874 | heritage turkey | Alternatively known as Blue Slate or Lavender. | ||
| White Holland | 1874 |
Twelve breeds are recognized by the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture.[3] Others with breed standards of European national associations are accepted.
| Variety (by National Standards) | Variety (colour) | country of origin | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| gray/blue | US | ||
| Brown/Black base color with white near some of the turkey's feather tips. | US | ||
| US | Pink legs and horn-colored beak. Spanish Black and Norfolk Black have black pigmented legs and beak. | ||
| white | US | ||
| black | F | ||
| GB | |||
| D | with EE-Standard of Perfection | ||
| blue | D | ||
| D | |||
| Bronze | D | ||
| D | ≈Royal Palm (US) | ||
| Buff | D | ||
| Bronce | D | ||
| narragansett coloured | D | ||
| Red | D | ||
| Red Winged | D | ||
| Black | D | ||
| Black Winged Bronze | D | ||
| D | |||
| French turkey (Dindon) | porcelan coloured | F | |
| schwarz | F | ||
| I | |||
| black | I | ||
| black | SP | ||
| US | |||
| GB | |||
| fauve | B | ||
| à épaulettes jaunes | B | ≈Tricoloré du Colorado (F), ≈Sweetgrass (US) | |
| jaspé | B | ≈Royal Palm (US), ≈Cröllwitzer (EE) | |
| perdrix | B | ≈Krefelder Pute (D) | |
| White (blanc) | B | ||
| black and white | GB | ||
| B/F | a French breed, supposedly brought to Flanders in the 16th century from Mexico by the Spanish. | ||
| black | F | ||
| Czech turkey (Česká krůta) | Czech Wild White-braided Turkey (Divocezbarvené bíle lemované) | CZ | |
| šedědivocezbarvene bíle lemované | CZ | ||
| US | |||
| English Turkey | buff | E | |
Other varieties not recognized by the APA or EE include the following: