Winter Roost Site Characteristics of Eastern Wild Turkeys

We compared 9 winter roost sites used by eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in Rhode Island to 9 random plots. Roost sites were closer (P < 0.001) to open water than random plots (x̄ = 39.8 ± 19.6 [SD] vs. 280.9 ± 114.2 m). White pine (Pinus strobus) and oaks (Quercus spp.) com...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 1988-07, Vol.52 (3), p.461-463
Main Authors: Kilpatrick, Howard J., Husband, Thomas P., Pringle, Carol A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Fish
Flocks
Forest ecology
Forest habitats
Habitat preferences
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris
Tree crowns
Turkeys
Winter
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Summary:We compared 9 winter roost sites used by eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in Rhode Island to 9 random plots. Roost sites were closer (P < 0.001) to open water than random plots (x̄ = 39.8 ± 19.6 [SD] vs. 280.9 ± 114.2 m). White pine (Pinus strobus) and oaks (Quercus spp.) comprised 43.7 and 24.2%, respectively, of trees within roost sites and 24.3 and 46.7%, respectively, of trees on control plots. Mean diameter at breast height (dbh) of roost trees was larger (P < 0.001) than trees on control plots (x̄ = 48.4 ± 14.8 vs. 20.2 ± 5.8 cm). Of 25 roost trees, 23 were white pines and 2 were eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Stands with white pines >48 cm dbh within 39.8 m of water were used for winter roosting before other sites.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2307/3801591