8-550: The Norfolk Black , also known as the Black Spanish or Black Turkey , is a British breed of domestic turkey . It is thought to derive from birds taken to Britain from Spain, where they had arrived with Spanish explorers returning from the New World . It is generally considered the oldest turkey breed in the UK . Turkeys were brought to Europe by early conquistadors returning from
16-711: A commercially farmed variety in the U.S. until the early 20th century, but fell out of favour after the development of the Broad Breasted Bronze and Broad Breasted White . Reasonably common in Europe, they are considered an endangered variety of heritage turkey today by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy , and are also included in Slow Food USA 's Ark of Taste , a catalogue of heritage foods in danger of extinction. A 1998 census conducted by
24-657: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . List of turkey breeds 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
32-571: Is currently being preserved by the Heritage Breed Livestock Conservation Program within the National Colonial Farm at Piscataway Park to increase public awareness of this threatened breed. About his fifteenth year, it happened that divers things were newly brought into England, whereupon this Rhyme was made: Turkeys, Carps, Hoppes, Piccarel, and Beer, Came into ENGLAND all in one year. This poultry article
40-709: 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. Twelve breeds are recognized by the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture . Others with breed standards of European national associations are accepted. Other varieties not recognized by
48-575: The New World , and were introduced to Britain – probably from Spain – in the early sixteenth century. According to the Chronicle of the Kings of England of Richard Baker of 1643, this was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Henry VIII , or about 1524. William Strickland is often credited with bringing them. Blackbirds had occasionally been seen among New World flocks of wild birds; European breeders selectively bred for this colour. In England, turkey farming
56-597: The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy found that only 200 Black Spanish turkeys remained in the United States, which just 15 different breeders were raising. To help with conservation efforts, the Accokeek Foundation helped reintroduce this bird to the Potomac River tidewater region by sharing breeding stock with other historical museums and local farmers. A rafter of Black Spanish turkeys
64-612: Was carried out mainly in East Anglia , particularly in Norfolk . In the seventeenth or eighteenth century, early colonists travelling to the New World took black-coloured turkeys with them. Cross-breeding of some of these with Meleagris gallopavo silvestris , the Eastern sub-species of the wild turkey, led to the later development of the Bronze , Narragansett and Slate breeds. They remained
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