This Turkey Tuesday is about calling as a group. The mating system of the wild turkey hinges on a form of lekking, which involves toms displaying together to attract attention from hens. Toms go to areas where hens frequent, or move about with them, and strut together which creates a show – they also will gobble simultaneously, which is an elaborate form of synchronized behavior. There are various reasons to explain this behavior, which for the turkey hunter, creates a situation sure to raise the heart rate. One, gobbling together creates a sound that is simply louder – loud draws more attention. Two, when toms are in a group, intense back and forth gobbling to each other is a subtle form of competition. In fact, research on birds has shown that interrupting calls of other males serves as a way to test dominance without a fist-to-cuffs. Third, gobbling in unison by toms in a group creates what is referred to as a “dawn chorus”, wherein the entire group is collectively establishing boundaries for other toms to heed – a classic example of “good fences making good neighbors”. A sort of, you stay out of our area, and we’ll stay out of yours. The take home is gobbling as a group by toms is a synchronized behavior that has a variety of functions ranging from drawing attention to setting boundaries.
Pic by Bradley Brockhouse
