AUTHOREA
Log in Sign Up Browse Preprints
LOG IN SIGN UP
Jennifer Baici
Jennifer Baici

Public Documents 1
How anthropogenic food sources and individual morphology inform wild turkey (Meleagri...
Jennifer Baici
Jeff Bowman

Jennifer Baici

and 1 more

March 11, 2025
Many animals exploit anthropogenic food sources, like agricultural crops and bird feeders, and it is likely that the distribution of these resources can determine the size and composition of species’ home ranges. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) use anthropogenic food sources across their range, particularly during the winter. As such, access to anthropogenic food sources may shape their seasonal movement patterns. We estimated home range size and core use areas for 65 wild turkeys in south-central Ontario from 2017 to 2019. We used satellite and aerial imagery to evaluate the composition of anthropogenic food sources within turkey utilization distributions (UDs) and found that, for females during the summer, crop was positively associated with home range size, whereas livestock exhibited a strong negative relationship. For males, the opposite relationships were detected with crop and livestock, and pasture was also a significant predictor of space use. Understanding the anthropogenic factors that affect wild turkey home range size and composition is important for making informed management decisions for the

| Powered by Authorea.com

  • Home