e-obs Stories & Publications

@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}

}