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Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopava) are an increasingly regular occurrence in the province of New Brunswick over the past decade. As with any new species, these turkeys leave managers and scientists unsure of the impacts they could have on native flora and fauna species. In order to properly manage a species, biologists need to know some key ecological details about the population, such as habitat and food sources, where populations are located, and where the animals are reproducing. Dr. Graham Forbes is working closely with graduate students in order to begin this research and discussion.
Feeding
Turkeys are ground feeders, which means they must have access to food on the ground year-round. This can be difficult in areas like New Brunswick, where there is snow on the ground most of the winter. Turkeys could move naturally into the southern part of New Brunswick because the winters are milder compared to the northern part of the province. In order to survive, turkeys move around based on food availability. Turkeys eat a wide variety of foods: grain, fruit, invertebrates, and some small reptiles. In the summer, food can be quite abundant while in the winter, however, turkeys will travel to bird feeders when food becomes scarce.
Identification
When someone thinks of turkeys, they usually think of one of two turkeys – large, white, domestic turkeys, or large, brown, wild turkeys. Truthfully, the large, brown turkeys could be wild turkeys or a variety of domestic turkeys. The biggest differences between these turkeys are located on the tail feathers, but are difficult to distinguish. The similarity of domestic and wild turkeys is allowing people to release domestic turkeys and adding to the invasion of turkeys in the province of New Brunswick.
Habitat
The government of Maine reintroduced wild turkeys in 1985 and over the past decade, the turkeys have been slowly moving across the Maine/New Brunswick border. However, this only accounts for populations present located near the New Brunswick border, like Woodstock, St. George, and St. Stephen. Other populations are popping up throughout the province. These turkeys are likely being released by local residents. Dr. Forbes’ project is currently collecting relative abundance recorded by citizen observations. In August 2019, a number of people helped conduct brood surveys. A brood survey is looking for any female turkeys (hen) in an area that have young (poults) with them. These surveys are used to determine where turkeys are breeding. During this survey, nests were located in the southeast portion of the province (St. Stephen, St. George) which indicates that the winter conditions are suitable for turkeys to survive.
Unfortunately, because the species is new to this area, managers do not know the potential impacts that turkeys could have on native flora and fauna. In Ontario, there have been negative impacts on populations of endangered slugs, snails and snakes and there is suspicion of impacts on ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), however, there is no evidence to support that. New Brunswick managers can use studies conducted in Ontario to make informed decisions and forecast what the implications of turkeys could be in New Brunswick.
Opportunities
Currently, there are no volunteer opportunities on Dr Forbes’ project with turkeys. However, in the coming years, there will likely be citizen volunteer opportunities to conduct brood surveys. Canadian Wild Turkey Federation is a non profit organization focused on proper management of wildlife and habitat in Canada. They are accepting new members and have an abundance of events to fundraise money for their organization. If you are interested in becoming a member or want more information you can visit cwtf.ca.
(This article was not peer-reviewed)
Authors
References:
Home v2. (2019, October 9). Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://cwtf.ca/.
Wild Turkey. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/species-information/birds/wild-turkey.html.
Forbes, G. (09 October, 2019) Personal Interview.
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