Colonization by Europeans initiated the downward spiral of the ubiquitous bird. Large habitat alterations and widespread harvest, particularly market hunting, drove populations toward local extinction. In late spring, hens will lay 10 to 12 eggs on average and incubate them for approximately 28 days. Fields provide large quantities of insects that make up the bulk of a young turkey s diet. However, as the turkeys age, their diet begins to include more vegetation.
Turkeys take advantage of what is seasonally abundant when foraging.
In addition to a diverse diet, wild turkeys have another distinct advantage over many other species of wildlife - mobility. We have observed birds moving a mile in a single day and five miles in a week. Smith et al. Wild turkeys and the American chestnut With an understanding of turkey biology in hand, we can speculate about what value the American chestnut may have had to the wild turkey. Many wildlife biologists would disagree with that statement because the predominant factor driving turkey populations downward was uncontrolled hunting.