Tracking the wild turkey

Recent snowy wanderings revealed something afoot in my Pike County neighborhood. Meleagris gallopovo had been about, stamping evidence of winter ramblings into the freshly deposited fluff. Another sign of wild turkey presence was an area of disturbed earth, where the leaf litter had been kicked up and heedlessly redistributed as the birds sought nourishment.

If you have observed chickens for any length of time, you may have noticed a similar feeding behavior as they scratch around their coop yards. Chuck Fergus, of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), writes that turkeys are gallinaceous (chicken-like) birds related to chickens, grouse, pheasants and quail—all ground-nesters.

According to the PGC, turkeys may wander several miles daily in search of water and food (in winter, leftover fall seeds, nuts and fruits as well as insect and plant life found near seeps—sources of water that remain above freezing throughout winter).

In late March or early April, “toms” (male turkeys) commence a special call, or gobble, to establish territories and to attract females. Spring gobblers who gain the attention of interested hens perform dramatic displays, tucking their heads against their bodies and fanning their tail feathers while drawing their wings across the ground as they hiss and strut around.

I lucked into an opportunity to observe this colorful behavior when I crested a hill along a dirt road last spring and came upon a tom in full regalia, slowly pivoting for his bevy of admiring hens.