This Turkey Tuesday is the first of several that will highlight the various subspecies of wild turkeys – I recently posted about the Osceola subspecies, so let’s start with the Eastern subspecies. The scientific name of the Eastern subspecies is Meleagris gallopavo silvestris – silvestris is important – it means “of the forest” – this is a bird inextricably linked to forests. Easterns are the most widely distributed subspecies, being found throughout the East, South, and Midwestern US and even into eastern Canada. In this 1st pic by Clayton Worrell, you can see distinctive features of the Eastern subspecies – dark brown tips on the tail feathers, those same colors on the tail coverts at the base of the tail, and a deep black iridescence on the contour feathers covering their body. Easterns are the most heavily hunted subspecies, and many turkey hunters will state they’re the most difficult to hunt in populations where pressure is high. Easterns thrive where forests meet open vegetative communities – such as the 2nd and 3rd pics, as well as in forests with open understory vegetation whether it be pine or hardwood – like the 4th and 5th pics. Easterns face many challenges, and some are daunting. Habitat loss to urbanization and development in the East continues at a rapid pace, as does land conversion and fragmentation – all to support rapidly growing population centers throughout the East and South. The take home is, ensuring sustainable populations of the Eastern subspecies decades from now will require creative strategies to prioritize conservation and management of vegetative communities where they thrive in the face of competing land uses.
