This Turkey Tuesday is about agriculture. In forested landscapes where hardwoods are present, hard mast such as acorns dominate much of a wild turkey’s fall and winter diet. But in many landscapes where turkeys thrive, hard mast is limited, so the use of agricultural crops and waste grains are the key to ensuring sustainable turkey populations. And intensive use of agriculture is not restricted to only agricultural landscapes – turkeys often thrive where forests and agriculture are juxtaposed. Research has shown that various forms of agriculture are important to turkeys across broad areas of the bird’s range – all 5 subspecies in fact. For instance, waste grains can comprise >80% of a flock’s diet during fall and winter. Likewise, individual flocks may spend >50% of the day in crop fields foraging, and at northern latitudes, access to waste grains allows turkeys to withstand cold temperatures that otherwise would negatively affect survival. Research has also shown that turkeys benefit from agricultural practices beyond just crop plantings – turkeys can thrive in areas where woodlands are interspersed with dairy farms. In fact, research has shown that in such situations, turkeys will intensively use manure spread on fields, particularly during snow events – this same intensive use of manure is common in feed lots where livestock are fed, where turkeys use both feeds given to livestock and manure. As farming practices become more efficient, it’s likely that wild turkeys relying on waste grains will face increasing challenges to secure consistent foraging resources throughout fall and winter. The take home is, agriculture provides critical foraging resources for wild turkeys during fall and winter, which is important for sustaining local flocks into spring.
Pic by Matt Addington.
