e-obs Stories & Publications

@article{tekam_habitat_2026,

title = {Habitat Selection and Seed Dispersal by the Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata) in the Rainforests of Southern Cameroon},

author = {Antoine S. A. Tekam and Nicholas J. Russo and Bonaventure Sonk\'{e} and Vincent Deblauwe and Docas L. Nshom and Nicolas Barbier and Ant\'{o}nio Ferraz and Sassan Saatchi and Martin Wikelski and Elsa M. Ordway and Thomas B. Smith},

url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/btp.70153},

doi = {10.1111/btp.70153},

issn = {1744-7429},

year  = {2026},

date = {2026-01-01},

urldate = {2026-02-17},

journal = {Biotropica},

volume = {58},

number = {1},

pages = {e70153},

abstract = {Tropical rainforests are biodiversity hotspots, where the seeds of 60%\textendash90% of trees are dispersed by animals, yet movement data needed to understand the behaviors and habitat selection of tropical frugivores remain scarce. We GPS-tracked four great blue turacos (Corythaeola cristata) in the Dja Faunal Reserve of southern Cameroon and predicted spatial patterns of seed dispersal within each bird's home range, which covered up to 2.33 km2. Using integrated Step Selection Analyses, we related turaco movements to LiDAR-derived measurements of 3D vegetation structure and habitat type. One individual preferred areas of tall canopy height, whereas one preferred intermediate canopy height and avoided swamps and areas of greater vertical vegetation complexity. Seed dispersal patterns for the two turacos with the largest home ranges were predicted to be more diffuse, with local maxima almost an order of magnitude smaller than those with smaller home ranges. Although the great blue turaco is a common bird species throughout central African forests, this is the first study to characterize the species' movement ecology using telemetry. The observed individual variation in movement and habitat use underscores the need to track a broader range of species in central African landscapes, which are increasingly threatened by hunting, logging, habitat loss, and climate change.},

note = {_eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/btp.70153},

keywords = {accelerometer, African, Animal movement, Backpack, behavior, biodiversity, bird, Bird Solar, Flight behaviour, Flying, Forest, frugivore, home range, movement ecology, Space use, Step Selection Function, telemetry},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{butler_vital_2025,

title = {Vital rates and population trajectory of a declining eastern wild turkey population in southeastern Oklahoma},

author = {Nicolle Butler and R. Dwayne Elmore and Cody Griffin and Kent Andersson and Michael Barrett and Cyrena Bedoian and Craig A. Davis and Samuel D. Fuhlendorf and Evan P. Tanner and M. Colter Chitwood},

url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.70002},

doi = {10.1002/wsb.70002},

issn = {2328-5540, 2328-5540},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

urldate = {2025-12-17},

journal = {Wildlife Society Bulletin},

volume = {49},

number = {S1},

pages = {e70002},

abstract = {Abstract 

 The eastern wild turkey ( 

 Meleagris gallopavo silvestris 

 ; hereafter, wild turkey) is a culturally and economically important game species in North America, yet populations have shown apparent declines across their distribution. Oklahoma, USA, has not been immune to declines, with several indices of abundance and recruitment (e.g., poults per female) trending downward in recent years. To investigate underlying demographic rates driving apparent declines in Oklahoma, we quantified current stage‐specific survival and reproductive rates. Our objective was to determine the current population trajectory using field‐derived vital rates and identify which demographic factors had the greatest influence on the asymptotic population growth rate (λ). In 2022 and 2023, we captured 28 and 33 female wild turkeys, respectively, during winter (January\textendashMarch) using rocket nets in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Overall annual survival was low (0.40; 95% CI: 0.27\textendash0.59, 

 n = 48), with higher survival in after‐second‐year females (0.55; 95% CI: 0.37\textendash0.82) than second‐year females (0.30; 95% CI: 0.16\textendash0.58); mammalian predation was the leading cause of mortality. Additionally, reproductive output was low, with only 17% of incubated nests (5 of 28) successfully hatching poults and no observed poults survived until independence. A stage‐structured projection matrix parameterized with our field‐derived estimates predicted a 45% annual population decline under current estimated demographic rates. Sensitivity and elasticity analyses corroborated previous work that determined adult female survival as the most influential vital rate driving population dynamics. However, the lack of any poults achieving independence indicates concern regarding the lack of recruitment. Our results underscore the importance of understanding and managing factors that influence adult female survival and reproduction to address wild turkey population declines. Our findings also highlight the necessity of sustained, long‐term monitoring to better understand population dynamics across time and variable environmental conditions. Additionally, while our work provides insights into a local population, there is a need for continued distribution‐wide efforts to identify broad‐scale drivers of population change.},

keywords = {bird, Bird‐2A‐IMU, matrix models, Meleagris gallopavo, nest success, Oklahoma, survival, telemetry, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{wightman_investigating_2025,

title = {Investigating diel patterns of predation events in wild turkeys using tri‐axial accelerometer data},

author = {Patrick H. Wightman and Nick A. Gulotta and Bradley S. Cohen and Bret A. Collier and Michael J. Chamberlain},

url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.1631},

doi = {10.1002/wsb.1631},

issn = {2328-5540, 2328-5540},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

urldate = {2025-12-17},

journal = {Wildlife Society Bulletin},

volume = {49},

number = {S1},

pages = {e1631},

abstract = {Abstract 

 Numerous studies have evaluated the species responsible for predation events on birds and their nests, but little research has assessed the location and timing of mortality events. Describing the location and timing of mortality events in birds facilitates improved inference and supports a more rigorous understanding of predator‐prey dynamics. To better understand predation on eastern wild turkeys ( 

 Meleagris gallopavo silvestris; 

 hereafter, wild turkeys), we used a combination of GPS spatial data and tri‐axial accelerometer data to investigate the timing and location of predation events. We monitored 477 female and 215 male wild turkeys during 2022\textendash2024. We identified 154 predation events on 126 females and 28 males. We found that for females, 43% of mortalities occurred at night while ground roosting, 32% of mortalities occurred during the day, and 24% occurred at night while tree roosting. Furthermore, we observed that 96% and 81% of predation events during nesting and brooding, respectively, occurred at night for females. Predation events during nesting and brooding peaked and remained consistent throughout the night but decreased during the day. For males, we found that 57% of mortalities occurred during the day whereas 43% occurred at night while roosting. There was no discernible pattern in predation while males were roosting throughout the annual cycle, but predation events on the ground increased in March, peaked in April, and declined in May. Our results indicate that predation risk profiles are sex specific and vary based on phenological cycle. The effect of predation on ground‐nesting females is well‐documented, with management strategies historically focused on increasing vegetation cover, which is assumed to reduce predation. However, predation on males and females while tree roosting presents a challenging topic, as research and management intervention options remain limited.},

keywords = {accelerometer, bird, diel cycle, Meleagris gallopavo silvestris, mortality, predation, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{boone_effects_2025,

title = {Effects of temperature and precipitation on wild turkey brood survival in the southeastern United States},

author = {Wesley W. Boone and Christopher E. Moorman and David J. Moscicki and Bret A. Collier and Michael J. Chamberlain and Adam J. Terando and John C. Kilgo and Nicholas W. Bakner and Krishna Pacifici},

url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.70003},

doi = {10.1002/wsb.70003},

issn = {2328-5540, 2328-5540},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

urldate = {2025-12-17},

journal = {Wildlife Society Bulletin},

volume = {49},

number = {S1},

pages = {e70003},

abstract = {Abstract 

 Climate change is altering annual recruitment and influencing the trajectory of wildlife populations. The effect of climate change on recruitment varies among wildlife species, making implications difficult to generalize, necessitating species‐specific assessments. Assessment is especially important for investigating implications of future climate change for populations currently in decline, such as the eastern wild turkey ( 

 Meleagris gallopavo silvestris 

 ). We evaluated how variation in weather and plant phenology affected wild turkey brood survival by monitoring 257 broods across the southeastern United States during 2014\textendash2022. Average daily low temperature, average daily precipitation, maximum single‐day precipitation, and proximity to green‐up date did not predict daily brood survival. Although we documented no support for weather effects on wild turkey brood survival, additional work is likely needed to assess how climate change will influence other factors that indirectly influence brood survival and subsequent recruitment, including availability of food and cover resources.},

keywords = {bird, brood survival, climate change, Meleagris gallopavo, precipitation, temperature, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{ulrey_use_2025,

title = {Use of LiDAR to examine habitat selection by incubating female wild turkeys in South Carolina},

author = {Erin E. Ulrey and Nicholas W. Bakner and James E. Garabedian and John C. Kilgo and Bret A. Collier and Michael J. Chamberlain},

url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.1628},

doi = {10.1002/wsb.1628},

issn = {2328-5540, 2328-5540},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

urldate = {2025-12-17},

journal = {Wildlife Society Bulletin},

volume = {49},

number = {S1},

pages = {e1628},

abstract = {Abstract 

 Avian reproductive activities are energetically demanding, leading to periods of heightened risk and reduced energy acquisition. Behavioral decisions by females in response to their physiological requirements are particularly important during nesting, as the availability and distribution of resources around nest sites can affect fitness of incubating females. We evaluated how spatially explicit LiDAR‐derived estimates of forest structure and topographical features influenced habitat selection by female eastern wild turkeys ( 

 Meleagris gallopavo silvestris 

 ) during the incubation period. We analyzed spatial data from 83 nesting attempts at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, USA, during 2021\textendash2022. Female wild turkeys selected for incubation recess locations in pine ( 

 Pinus 

 spp.) forests with an average basal area of textasciitilde14 m 

 2 

 /ha and density of 335 trees/ha. Selection probability was positively associated with south‐ and west‐facing aspects. Our findings highlight the importance of mature pine forests with understories that enhance foraging opportunities as key factors influencing incubation behaviors in female eastern wild turkeys.},

keywords = {behavior, bird, incubation, LiDAR, Meleagris gallopavo silvestris, recess movement, resource selection function, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}