Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Renewable Natural Resources

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo spp.) is a game bird species in North America who are one of the great success stories in restoration and conservation. Wild turkeys were extirpated from most of their range in the early 20th century, but through habitat restoration and translocation efforts the population was restored to the point of being sustainably harvested in 49 U.S. States by the late 20th century. However recent declines in wild turkey population indices have necessitated ongoing research on the behavioral ecology of wild turkeys to help counteract these declines. East Texas specifically for the past century has never had an established and widespread population of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), despite large-scale restoration efforts. Thus, we studied various aspects of wild turkey behavioral ecology: resource selection, acclimation to novel environments, connections between social and reproductive behaviors, and social behaviors after each year’s reproductive period. We captured and collected genetic and movement data on extant wild turkeys across the southeastern U.S. from 2014 to 2025, while also collecting movement data on wild turkeys translocated to east Texas from 2016, 2017, 2022, and 2023. First, we found that resource selection by wild turkeys in east Texas was not connected to landscape-scale vegetation characteristics and did not vary between age or translocated/extant groups. Second, we found that translocated wild turkey space use and reproductive ecology varied depending on whether there were conspecifics present at the translocation site, with the behavior of females translocated in the 2nd year being more similar to extant wild turkeys. Third, we found that wild turkey social groups are connected to when nest initiations occur, and that the date when legal harvest begins affects the reproductive behavior and outcomes of females in social groups. Finally, we found that after the final nest activity in each year females were more likely to pair with close relatives than less related females, and that females with broods were more likely to avoid other females. A better understanding of the behavioral ecology of wild turkeys can lead to improved management techniques, hopefully to improve wild turkey population trajectories.

Date

3-10-2026

Committee Chair

Kaller, Michael

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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