11/25/2009 10:14:00 PM Talkin' turkey - Three species call Arizona home
AG&FD, George Andrejko/Courtesy photo
Gould's turkey.
AG&FD, Bob Miles/Courtesy photo
Merriam's turkey.
The Daily Courier
Few Arizonans know that this state is home to three different kinds of wild turkey: the Merriam's, Gould's and Rio Grande.
Careful observers can find them in ponderosa pine forests as well as other vegetation types in elevations ranging from 3,500 to 10,000 feet.
They are much more wily than their domesticated counterparts.
Here is the rundown on all three species of turkey in the state, courtesy of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Merriam's turkeys are the most common here. They live throughout the Western United States, primarily in the ponderosa pine forests of Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Arizona.
Merriam's have been transplanted into the pine forests of Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota.
The best populations of Merriam's in Arizona occur in the ponderosa pine forests north of the Gila River, with very good population densities along the Mogollon Rim.
Hundreds also live on the Prescott National Forest. The Arizona Game and Fish Department has released dozens of Merriam's south of Prescott, as well as in the Pine Mountain area of eastern Yavapai County, to increase their populations.
Gould's turkeys are one of Arizona's two native wild turkey species but experienced dramatic population declines. They are slightly larger than Merriam's turkey. Gould's turkeys once lived throughout southern Arizona and typically occupy the sky island habitats. Gould's turkeys exist only in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.
Gould's were an important food source for those who settled and worked in the rugged lands of southern Arizona years ago. Between the Civil War and World War I, miners working in southern Arizona harvested Gould's for many of their meals. By the time Arizona had legal hunting seasons in 1929, Gould's turkeys already had disappeared from the scene.
Gould's now occupy only a few remote mountain ranges in Arizona. However, these birds are making comeback tracks in the Huachucas and other mountain ranges in southern Arizona.
Game and Fish recently introduced Rio Grande turkeys on the Arizona Strip at Black Rock Mountain. This terrain is similar to the terrain in Utah where the birds came from. The Rio Grande subspecies is quite similar to the Merriam's turkey, and it would take a side-by-side comparison to notice the differences.
The Rio is slightly smaller and the banded accent tail feathers are slightly darker. The most notable difference is in the primary wing feathers. The Rio's are mainly black with small white accent bars, while the Merriam's are white with small black accents.
This turkey subspecies prefers areas with drainages and streambeds in relatively open brush and scrub country as high as 6,000 feet in elevation.
Turkey Life History
The onset of turkey breeding is heralded by the commencement of gobbling as the temperatures warm in the spring. Gobbling may start late in February and early March, with a second peak of gobbling occurring in early May. Toms may continue to gobble into June.
Hens mate once and may fertilize all of the 8 to 12 eggs from one union. Incubation takes 28 days. The hen does not begin to incubate until all the eggs are laid and all the eggs hatch within a single day.
The young are capable of moving from the nest soon after hatching. The hens and poults spend the rest of the summer eating, loafing, and gaining weight. As winter approaches, hens and poults begin to form flocks with other hens and poults. These flocks winter as high up on the mountain as snow permits. The cycle begins again in the spring.
Behavior
During winter, Merriam's turkeys congregate in the piñon pine-oak habitats at the interface with ponderosa pine.
If weather permits, they may even winter in the ponderosa pine. Deep snow forces them to move to lower elevations. During spring snowmelt, they again move up slope following the snow line, and breeding activity begins.
Toms begin to gobble and form harems. After mating, hens move into denser habitat at higher elevation to lay and incubate eggs. Toms and hens are not usually seen together except during the breeding season, which is late March to early June. The remainder of the year they are in similar habitat, but do not flock together.
During the summer, hens and poults spend much of their time searching for bugs and seeds in small forest openings and forest meadows. As winter approaches, oaks and piñon ripen. The hens, poults, and toms feed on these mast crops. With the onset of winter, they begin to move out of the snow into pine stringers at lower elevations.
Reader Comments
Posted: Sunday, November 29, 2009
Article comment by:
The Silence is Deafening
Will the turkeys habitat be endangered by the Big Chino Fain Developer pipeline? I think Bio Diversity should make some sort of statement regarding the rape of the Verde River instead of asking for money and selling contributors names to every Tree Hugger organization they can. What happened? Did they sell out regarding the Verde River?
Posted: Saturday, November 28, 2009
Article comment by:
The P.V. Baffled Ringnecked Species
The paper forgot the 4th species, although not native to Arizona they inhabit the Control Tower in Prescott Valley. The don't go "Gobble Gobble" but " 'Develop or Die"
Posted: Thursday, November 26, 2009
Article comment by:
Harry
This is cool information! Thanks for including it in your articles.
