| The domestic turkey (right) looks pretty different than its wild ancestor (left). One of the most prevalent differences is the enlargement of the breast tissue, which was bred into the domestic turkey for increased meat production. In response to overharvesting, the wild turkey was close to extinction at the beginning of the 20th century. Efforts made by wildlife game managers helped preserve the animals’ population across North America. Turkeys were reintroduced to several areas, including South Carolina, the Appalachian Mountains, and southern regions of Canada. By allowing the species to recover, the wild turkey has made a noteworthy comeback: current estimates place wild turkey population levels around 7 million. With this comeback, it’s not surprising that the wild turkey is one of the most prevalent wildlife species captured by Candid Critters camera traps. Over the years, Candid Critters has collected 2,366 observations of wild turkeys across North Carolina. Using this data, we are learning more about turkey behavior and whereabouts across the state. One thing you may have noticed if you’ve ever seen turkeys on your Candid Critters camera is that these birds are very social creatures. Turkeys like to travel in flocks, which can range anywhere from 5 to 50 individuals. Flock size will depend on several factors, including food availability and time of year. During the spring and summer, hens spend their time incubating their eggs and raising young poults. Starting in the fall, hens and gobblers will join large, sex-specific flocks that they’ll stay with throughout the winter. In early spring, these flocks will intermingle as the males begin courting females for the March and April breeding season. How do we know all this? Facts about turkey behavior has been supported by scientific data: we know what we know about turkeys, as well as any other animal, because we’ve studied them for long periods of time. From Candid Critters’ camera trapping data, we see that turkeys are seen in groups averaging just over 4 individuals during the wintertime (Figure 1). Contrarily, the observed turkey group size is much smaller in the summer: fewer than 2 individuals are seen on average every time a trail camera is triggered. Based on what we know about turkey behavior, it makes sense that we see more individuals hanging out together in the wintertime, since this is a period when wild turkeys are known to join larger flocks. | |
