In the American state of Wisconsin, a trail camera has captured an amazing bird that looks as if nature decided to experiment with paints. Instead of the usual brown and reddish feathers, the wild turkey had almost white plumage with black and grey spots. The photograph drew the attention of specialists, who explained the unusual appearance by a rare genetic trait.

In Richland County, located in the south-west of the American state of Wisconsin, a camera trap recorded an unusual wild turkey.

The bird stood out noticeably from its fellows. Instead of the usual dark brown plumage with reddish and bronze tints, it was almost entirely white, and grey and black spots adorned the lower part of its body.

The image was obtained as part of the conservation project Snapshot Wisconsin, which monitors wild animals using automatic cameras.

The photograph was shared by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, accompanied by a jocular explanation.

"Don't worry, it's just a phase!"

When the specialists saw the unusual bird, they decided to reassure nature lovers.

In an official statement, the agency joked that the turkey was simply going through a certain phase.

But this was not at all about teenage rebellion or a desire to stand out among other birds.

The scientists used the term color phase — "colour phase", which denotes certain natural variants of animal coloration.

In the discovered turkey, the specialists identified the so-called smoke phase — smoke phase.

With this trait, the feathers contain fewer of the usual brown and reddish pigments.

As a result, the bird becomes light grey or practically white, while certain areas of its plumage retain dark coloration.

That is precisely why the unusual turkey looked as if someone had begun to colour it in but stopped halfway.

Not an albino and not a domestic bird

The amazing coloration may give the impression that before us is a rare hybrid of a wild and a domestic turkey.

However, the specialists emphasise: this is a perfectly ordinary wild bird, simply with an unusual hereditary trait.

Such changes in coloration occur in nature and are not necessarily connected with human intervention.

Besides the smoke phase, wild turkeys have other colour variants as well.

For example, with erythrism the plumage acquires a pronounced reddish-ginger hue.

And with melanism the bird becomes almost entirely black because of an increased amount of dark pigment.

There are also leucistic turkeys, in which part or almost all of the plumage may be white.

It turns out that nature has at its disposal a whole collection of unusual colour solutions.

And far from all turkeys are obliged to look alike.

Why do such birds attract the attention of scientists?

The unusual coloration is of interest to biologists, since it helps to study the hereditary traits of animals.

But there is also a practical side.

The usual brown plumage of wild turkeys blends well with forest vegetation, fallen leaves and earth.

It helps the birds to remain less noticeable in their natural environment.

But an almost white turkey may stand out more against the background of a dark forest.

Under certain conditions this potentially makes it more noticeable to predators.

That is why unusual colour variations are important not only from an aesthetic but also from a scientific point of view.

A chance photograph became a small discovery

Curiously, the unusual turkey did not have to be specially sought out.

It made its own way into the lens of an automatic forest camera.

The Snapshot Wisconsin project allows scientists to observe animals without a constant human presence.

The cameras are installed in forests and other natural places, where they record animals and birds passing by.

Over the course of the project's existence, tens of millions of photographs have been accumulated.

The images include deer, bears, foxes, turkeys and other inhabitants of the state.

Sometimes, among thousands of ordinary frames, something completely unexpected appears.

That is exactly how the researchers obtained the photograph of the unusual pale turkey.

Wisconsin is a true turkey state

Wild turkeys are widespread in Wisconsin.

Today they can be found in all 72 counties of the state.

However, this was not always the case.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, these birds practically disappeared from the region because of hunting and the reduction of natural habitats.

In 1976, specialists began a programme to return wild turkeys to the nature of Wisconsin.

Gradually the population recovered, and now the birds have once again become familiar inhabitants of the local forests.

That is why the appearance of the unusual pale turkey became yet another reminder of the diversity of the region's animal world.

The most fashionable turkey in the forest

Although the unusual coloration is of serious scientific interest to researchers, to ordinary internet users the story looks rather amusing.

Against the background of her usual brown relatives, the pale turkey really does seem like a genuine fashionista.

One can imagine her appearing among the other birds, as if she had decided to break every rule of the forest dress code.

But there is no special outfit, of course.

It is merely a natural feature of her plumage.

It is precisely such unexpected surprises that make observing wildlife especially fascinating.

After all, while people are arguing about the fashionable colours of the season, a turkey has already appeared in the forests of Wisconsin who has chosen her own style — white-grey with black accents.

And she seems to have no intention whatsoever of asking the other birds whether such a look suits her.

Once again, nature has proved that it can create the most unusual designs without the help of stylists, paints or Photoshop!