The Royal Palm is a breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

 of domestic turkey. One of the few turkeys not primarily selected

Selective breeding

Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...

 for meat production, the Royal Palm is best known as an ornamental bird with a unique appearance, largely white with bands of metallic black. Primarily kept as an exhibition bird, or on small farms, it lacks the size for large scale commercial use. Toms usually weigh 16 to 22 lbs and the hens 10 to 12 lbs.

A relative newcomer among turkey breeds, the bird first appeared in the 1920s on a farm in Lake Worth, Florida, apparently as a cross between Black, Bronze, Narragansett, and native turkeys.http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/royalpalm.html Years of selective breeding followed to stabilize the coloring, and the Royal Palm was finally accepted by the American Poultry Association

American Poultry Association

The American Poultry Association is the oldest poultry organization in the North America. Founded in 1873, and incorporated in Indiana in 1932 The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in response to the burgeoning need for an overseeing body to set standards...

's Standard of Perfection in 1971. In Europe, a turkey with similar coloration is sometimes called the Cröllwitzer, Pied, or Black-laced White.http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/royalpalm.html

Along with the decline of most heritage turkey

Heritage turkey

A heritage turkey is one of a variety of strains of domestic turkey which retains historic characteristics that are no longer present in the majority of turkeys raised for consumption since the mid-20th century...

 breeds after the adoption of the Broad Breasted White by the turkey industry, Royal Palms are a very endangered breed today. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting genetic diversity among rare breeds of livestock...

 categorizes the breed as critical on its watchlist, the highest priority of conservation. It is also included in Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste

Ark of Taste

The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of heritage foods in danger of extinction which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distinct ecoregion...

, a catalog of heritage foods in danger of extinction.

The toms are noted for being non-aggressive, and the hens are particularly good mothers.

External links

• Royal Palms at feathersite.com