LITTLEFIELD, Ariz. (AP) -- Wildlife officials have released 55 wild turkeys in a remote part of northwestern Arizona in hopes the birds will grow into a huntable population within a few years.

The nonprofit National Wildlife Turkey Federation on Thursday announced the Jan. 16 release of the turkeys in an isolated section of the Black Rock Mountains, about 15 miles south of the Utah border.

The federation said the release of the Rio Grande turkeys adds a new subspecies of wild turkeys in Arizona. Two other species, the Merriams and the Goulds, are thriving.

The Rio Grande turkeys were trapped near Beaver, Utah - an area similar to the Black Rock Mountains, according to Scott Lerich, a regional biologist with the federation.

The turkeys were fitted with wing tags and eight hens were fitted with radio transmitters to monitor their progress.

"They should adapt well to their new habitat," Brian Wakeling, a big game supervisor with the Arizona Game & Fish Department, said in a news release. "We feel good about our odds of seeing some nesting activity when we follow up with the birds this spring or summer."

The department has future plans to release more Rio Grande turkeys in the area.

Rio Grande wild turkeys are native to the central plains states and were named after the great river, according to the National Wildlife Turkey Federation. They are about 4 feet tall and can weigh as much as 20 pounds.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.