The Eastern Bronze Turkey has become one of the most ubiquitous creatures throughout the woods & pasturelands of southwestern Ontario. There is hardly a winter day passes without spotting a sizable flock or two feeding in a harvested cornfield or pasture. They are a magnificent bird, especially when a big Tom starts parading back and forth, dragging wing tips, spitting and drumming. “The head is afire, fleshy waddles and snood turning brilliant blue and red,” said T. Edward Nickens of the National Audoban Society.
There are 5 subspecies of this magnificent bird scattered across most of North America. In addition to the Eastern, there is the Osceola of Florida, the Gould & Rio Grande of northern Mexico and the American southwest, and the Merriam Turkey is associated with the Ponderosa Pine of the far west. They are all beautiful in a gangly type of way but none compare to their Bronze feathered cousin.
The enormously successful reintroduction of the species started as recently as 1987 in Connecticut. This reintroduction encouraged habitat rehabilitation that in turn helps Golden Winged Warblers, Red Cockaded Woodpeckers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Eastern Ruffed Grouse and even the elusive Sage Grouse. It also passively assists in creating migration corridors for hundreds of other creatures, some as little but stunningly beautiful and benign as the Monarch Butterfly. The Turkey Federation of the United States is unanimously resolved to maintaining their habitat for these birds and all their cousins. Here is something that ultimately benefits the environment, modestly escalates property values by creating interactive physical corridors and greatly enhances the chances of our children’s grandchildren being a participant in one of ornithology’s most wondrous courting displays.
Unfortunately, despite great initial success, lately there has been a noticeable decline in their numbers especially south of the 49th parallel. So if you are a country dweller do think of sparing a little bit of corn or nuts this winter for this true debutante of the forest. Who knows, perhaps they may even share an unearthly sounding gobble or two while dining on your snacks. Small things do make a difference, so lets think affirmatively about creating larger more interconnected green corridors through which all champions of the wild kingdom can traverse.
May everyone have a healthy, prosperous, and happy 2015.
One of our staff members captured these photos last winter of a pair of turkeys taking advantage of their back yard bird feeder.
