Breeding phenology of Rio Grande wild turkeys

• Skylar Foland, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Delaware

• Christopher Williams, Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware
• Nicholas Bakner, Entomology & Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware

The Rio Grande wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia; hereafter, wild turkey) is one of five subspecies of wild turkey in North America and supports important recreational hunting opportunities throughout Texas. Understanding breeding phenology is important for informing management decisions because the time of reproduction influences potential overlap between nesting activities and hunting seasons. The objective of this study was to describe annual variation in the nesting chronology of wild turkeys across multiple study sites in Texas. During the study period, 160 radio-marked female wild turkeys (62 juveniles and 98 adults) attempted 248 nests across 14 study sites over six years. Nest initiation varied substantially among years, with the earliest nests initiated between 5 March (2017) and 1 April (2015), whereas the latest nest initiations ranged from 9 June (2016) to 27 June (2017). Similarly, incubation began as early as 21 March (2017) and as late as 6 April (2015), with the final incubation attempts extending from 20 June (2012) to 17 July (2018). These preliminary results demonstrate considerable annual variation in breeding phenology and provide baseline information to support future evaluations of environmental drivers affecting reproductive timing and management of wild turkey populations.