Predation Events on Rio Grande Wild Turkey Nests

Texas rat snake consuming egg, note hen in background.

Raccoon eating eggs.

Gray Fox at turkey nest.

With nesting season around the corner we thought it would be educational to preview some of the results of a study looking at predation events of Rio Grande wild turkey nests. The results of this research were provided by Justin Dreibelbis, a graduate student at Texas A&M University studying under Drs. Bret Collier, Nova Silvy, and Markus Peterson.

Nest predation is one potential limiting factor for ground nesting birds. Nest predator species are often determined using eggshell remains; however, using eggshells to identify nest predators has numerous problems due to the potential for misclassification. Justin used motion activated digital cameras to evaluate the frequency of nest predation and to identify predators of Rio Grande Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) nests on the Edwards Plateau of Texas during 2006 and 2007. For nests with cameras, predation was the primary cause of nest loss, with 57% (12 of 21) in 2006 and 65% (20 of 31) in 2007 being predated. Predation of nests without cameras also was high (69 and 65% for 2006 and 2007, respectively), suggesting that cameras did not increase nest loss. Justin documented partial-and multiple-predator nest predation events, both of which could cause inaccurate identification of nest predators. Justin's results demonstrate a range of potential biases involved in using eggshell remains to determine nest predator species; thus, biologists should be cautious when evaluating nest predator communities based on eggshell remains. Justin's work was the intial research on the impacts of various predators on turkey production in Texas. Currently, several additional projects are focused on aspects of predator-turkey interactions and the impacts predators have on population growth.