This Turkey Tuesday is about consistency – in this case, the consistency in breeding and nesting each year. The other day, a friend sent a video of toms strutting around some hens and expressed concern that with the recent warm days we’ve had, turkeys would start breeding and nesting early this year. Alas, my friend’s concern is one I hear often. Warm days in late winter make our minds wander to visions of toms breeding with hens way early, like the scene in the 1st image. But the reality is there is strong consistency through years in the timing of breeding and nesting in the wild turkey world. The 2nd image shows the timing of nest incubation across 8 years on one of our study sites – the black stars show the peaks – and you’ll notice that there are only 6 stars. During 2 years, the peak in nest incubation was identical to another year, and collectively, peaks only varied ~ a week. The ramp up in nesting activity is also very consistent through time – in this population, laying activity increases dramatically the first week of April with peaks in nest incubation 10-14 days later. Why the consistency? Well, increases in photoperiod (longer days) stimulate increases in hormone production that drives breeding activity – hormones increase sooner in toms than hens, which is why we’re seeing toms strut when breeding and nesting are still many weeks away. And this consistency makes sense – produce poults at the optimal time to ensure their survival, and this optimal time should generally be the same each year. The take home is, consistency in timing is the rule in the wild turkey breeding and nesting world.
Pic of tom/hen by Monte Loomis.
