Wild turkey numbers are falling in some parts of the US, the main reason may be habitat loss

Published 2024년 4월 19일

Tridge summary

Wild turkey populations in North America have experienced significant fluctuations, from near extinction in 1900 due to unregulated hunting and habitat loss, to a remarkable recovery by the early 2000s, and now facing a recent decline, particularly in the eastern U.S. with an estimated 9% yearly decrease over the last 50 years. The decline is primarily attributed to habitat changes, including the reduction of open forests and grasslands, leading to lower reproduction and survival rates. Factors such as increased predation on turkey eggs by mammals like raccoons and opossums, which thrive in these altered habitats, and a decrease in insect populations, crucial for young turkeys, have been identified as contributing to the decline. Prescribed burning is suggested as a method to restore turkey-friendly habitats, and conservation efforts are encouraged to focus on habitat management and restoration to support turkey populations.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Birdsong is a welcome sign of spring, but robins and cardinals aren't the only birds showing off for breeding season. In many parts of North America, you're likely to encounter male wild turkeys, puffed up like beach balls and with their tails fanned out, aggressively strutting through woods and parks or stopping traffic on your street.Wild turkeys were abundant across North America when European settlers arrived. But people killed them indiscriminately year-round—sometimes for their meat and feathers, but settlers also took turkey eggs from nests and poisoned adult turkeys to keep them from damaging crops. Thanks to this unregulated killing and habitat loss, by 1900 wild turkeys had disappeared from much of their historical range.Turkey populations gradually recovered over the 20th century, aided by regulation, conservation funding and state restoration programs. By the early 2000s, they could be found in Mexico, Canada and every U.S. state except Alaska.Now, however, the trend ...

Source: Phys