Cody Cedotal

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 2000 Quail Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Travel Distance and Habitat Selection by Female Wild Turkeys on the First Day of Egg Laying

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Nest site selection has a critical effect on nest success for eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), yet the underlying drivers of nest site selection are often misrepresented in the literature. Early works typically focused on evaluating behavioral ecology of female wild turkeys before nest initiation, under the assumption that female wild turkeys sought out nest sites well in advance of nest initiation. However, recent work has clearly found no evidence of nest site search behavior before the day of nest initiation, thus increasing the need to focus evaluations...