Habitat Use and Survival of Preflight Wild Turkey Broods

Abstract

Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) broods spend the first several days of life on the ground until poult flight capabilities are attained. This is a critical period of wild turkey life history, with poult survival ranging from 12% to 52%. We measured vegetation in plots used by Rio Grande wild turkey (M. g. intermedia) preflight broods at 4 sites in southwest Kansas and the Texas Panhandle, USA, to determine microhabitat selection for ground roosting and to determine if microhabitat was related to poult survival. Hens selected ground‐roost locations with more visual obstruction from multiple observation heights than random sites. Plots surrounding ground roosts had 1) greater visual obstruction; 2) increased tree decay; 3) higher percent grass, shrub, litter, and forb cover; and 4) lower percent bare ground cover than random sites. Grass, shrubs, and downed trees appeared to provide desired cover for ground‐roosting broods. Poult survival increased with age of poult, size of brood, and density of shrubs 1–2 m tall. Plots used by broods <10 days old with above average survival contained more visual obstruction and shrubs than plots used by broods 10–16 days old with above average survival, signifying a shift in habitat use by successful broods as poults attain flight abilities. Density of shrubs 1–2 m tall in brood‐use areas appears to be important for poult survival to 16 days of age on southern Great Plains rangeland habitats. Ground‐level vegetative cover appears to be a significant factor in preflight poult survival. Provisions of ground‐level vegetative cover should be considered during wild turkey brooding periods where increased poult survival is desired.

Nest and brood site selection of eastern wild turkeys

“…For example, recently burned areas tend to be avoided by common nest predators including raccoons ( Procyon lotor ; Jones et al ), which could increase nest survival in patches burned within the previous growing season. Brood habitat is generally described as a mixture of forested area and herbaceous vegetation that provides foraging opportunities and concealment cover (Metzler and Speake , Porter , Spears et al ), and areas with increased visual obstruction may be associated with increased brood survival (Metzler and Speake , Spears et al ).…”

Turkeys

“…Although it appears that some Native American cultures in Meso-America were quite adept at getting some types of wild turkey to breed well in captivity, English-speaking settlers in North America had little initial success. Wild turkey hens pointedly persisted in nesting out in the woods and not in the barn, leading to higher losses of eggs, chicks, and the hens themselves, to wild predators (Spears, Wallace, Ballard, Phillips, & Holdstock, 2007). Nonetheless, wild turkeys were very hardy and, once caught, routinely survived transatlantic shipping Turkeys 233 for slaughter in Europe.…”

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) association to roads: implications for distance sampling

“…Average rainfall was 55-76 cm/year and elevation ranged from approximately 240 to 910 m ASL (Spears 2002). Vegetation was mostly honey mesquite-dominated grasslands with presence of sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia), shinnery oak (Quercus havardii), and Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia; Spears et al 2007). Bluestems, gramas, sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), and buffalo grass (B. dactyloides) were common grass species (Spears 2002, Huffman et al 2006.…”