This story was written by Holly Lott, Tall Timbers’ game bird research biologist at Livingston Place
Wild turkeys are an economically important as well as an ecologically complex species.
In recent years, researchers have documented declines in turkey populations and productivity in multiple regions of the United States, including the Southeast. Behavior and reproductive activities of turkeys can vary significantly from one region to another, so in order to better understand what may be causing these declines, researchers must focus on understanding region-specific population demographics and reproduction of turkeys. Understanding regional turkey behavior and reproduction has important implications for managing turkey populations and setting state harvest seasons and regulations.
Data on turkey populations in Florida, especially data related to reproductive behavior and timing, is limited, so current research is key to understanding and preventing turkey population declines in Florida. That is exactly what Dr. Marcus Lashley, a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida, is doing by leading a statewide project to better understand turkey demographics and reproduction throughout the state. Lashley also co-hosts the Wild Turkey Science podcast.
Florida is a particularly complex state when it comes to understanding turkey populations as vegetation and weather vary significantly from the far southern latitudes of the state to the northern latitudes of the panhandle. There are also two separate subspecies of wild turkeys in Florida, the eastern wild turkey and the Osceola wild turkey, further complicating our understanding of turkey ecology in the state.
In order to better understand turkey behavior throughout Florida, Dr. Lashley is conducting research on multiple study sites across the state ranging from South Florida all the way to the Florida- Georgia border.
A hen turkey at Livingston Place is outfitted with a GPS transmitter as part of a statewide study of turkey ecology in Florida.
The northern most property working on this research is Tall Timber’s Livingston Place. This winter, researchers on Livingston Place have been working to capture turkeys using rocket nets to collect important biological data on turkey. Each captured turkey received a leg band and was fitted with a backpack GPS transmitter.
A variety of biological samples including blood samples, disease swabs, and feather samples were also collected and will provide valuable information about the health of turkey populations in Florida. The GPS transmitters will track turkey movements throughout the breeding season allowing researchers to collect data on nest incubation timing, nest success, and brood survival.
On Livingston Place, 16 turkeys were captured and will be monitored throughout the breeding season. These turkeys are part of approximately 185 turkeys captured throughout the state as part of Dr. Lashley’s project, but they will provide insight into turkey movements and reproduction in the Red Hills.
When combined, the data collected from the turkeys captured on Livingston Place and the data from the many other turkeys captured throughout the state of Florida this year will start to provide a better understanding or turkey ecology across Florida. This research will hopefully continue in future years and will lead to better informed management of wild turkey populations in Florida.
